


Love Is Earned

by ChubbyGhostQuinn



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Blind Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Blood and Torture, Brainwashing, Coming Out, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Gabriel hears voices (kind of), M/M, Minor Character(s), Mostly focused on r76, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Post-Recall, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rating May Change, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes Redemption, Slow Burn, Team Talon (Overwatch), Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-09-13 07:24:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 44,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16888167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbyGhostQuinn/pseuds/ChubbyGhostQuinn
Summary: Reaper wakes up in a room and he can't move. Overwatch finally caught him, Sombra, and Widowmaker. Seeing Jack's old face sparks dead flames, but perhaps it is too late. Will Gabriel win back the weary heart of the old soldier, or is it already being mended by another's hands? Everyone is different than before, but the differences are unclear. Maybe it's too late to earn back the love he lost. Perhaps things more sinister than a broken heart wait on the horizon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello! So excited for this somewhat self-indulgent fic! 
> 
> Just a little info, the bold text is the voice in Gabriel's head, Reaper! 
> 
> Feel free to give me feedback! Let me know anything I may get wrong!

His head hurt, but that was normal. What wasn’t normal was that he couldn’t move his body. He opened his eyes and looked around, but couldn’t see much but darkness and very dim, purple lights. He shut his eyes again, body throbbing at even the dim lights. His head felt like it exploded when he heard:

“What the fuck..?”

Olivia. Where was she? To his right, shuffling around but only barely. He could hear that now. He was laying down, but he couldn’t move still. Where was Amélie? Had she made it out? He hoped so.

“Can you move?” Gabriel asked, his voice even rougher than usual behind his mask. His breathing had made it stuffy in there, but he couldn’t move his arm to fix it. 

“No, _pendejo_ , can you?”

Gabriel didn’t give an answer, just trying to remember what happened.

A heist, just himself and the girls. Moira stayed behind with Akande, but Gabriel wasn’t upset about that. He preferred working alone, but the girls could do things he couldn’t and had saved his skin a number of times. 

The mission had been going well. Kill some wealthy bastard and his pet omnics whose names all failed to stick in Gabriel’s mind, then rough up the house and steal some things to make it look more like a robbery gone wrong and less like an assassination. Olivia had disabled everything regarding the security while he and Amélie handled most of the dirty work. Olivia just wanted to steal things after instead of doing any killing. That was fine. Let her keep her hands as clean as possible. 

Everything went according to plan. No alarms, some omnics shot down.

And then..

And then Overwatch came in. The noble heroes coming to save the day, even though their actions were just as illegal as his at this point. Led by that stupid ape, Overwatch ambushed them. They’d been split up, and Gabriel had to fend for himself. He remembered seeing green flashes of light, a sharp burn in his side. A purple cloud around his vision, and dark memories flooding in. A happier time. The voice in his head fed off of it.

**"You’re a monster."** It had chanted.

Then?

**"Rage. Kill them all. Make them suffer, just like you."** He would, if only to silence the voice.

Gunshots and punches and that cyborg went down, a synthetic voice calling in stress as Gabriel whipped around and fired at the scratched face plate of an omnic. Then it got cold. So cold, he couldn’t move, couldn’t smoke out. Memories were crushing him. He could remember a familiar, soft face framed by dark hair; she was worried, scared. 

**"Good, she should be afraid now. Everyone should be. We won't stop until the world kneels in terror!"** No, he didn't want that. Not always.

He’d heard a loud, man’s voice. He knew that voice anywhere, that damn Crusader. He’d been saying something he couldn’t make out. “Sniper”, probably. Then, the world went dark. He heard a raspy woman’s chuckle as he hit the ground, vision blurring before going dark.

Now he was here. Overwatch headquarters, probably. Damn.

“Widowmaker? Did she get out?”

“No,” said the deadpan voice on his other side. He sighed softly, smoke filling his lungs when he breathed again.

“If you’re trying to smoke out, it won’t work,” Olivia said, sounding quite unhappy, “I think there’s something in the room that is keeping me from hacking, plus I’m tied down. It’ll keep you from going ghost too. I dunno about Widow though”

“I’m strapped down.”

“Oh. And you can’t break it?”

“No.”

“Thanks.”

“Know where we are exactly?” Gabriel asked. 

“No, I was knocked out outside. A big ass something hit me in the head” Olivia grunted, “Still hurts…”

“What about your translocator?” Gabriel asked, eyebrows knitting. He stopped when his head throbbed harder.

“That’s where it happened! Someone waited for me by it and hit me in the head. I think I have brain damage now.”

“You didn’t already?” Amélie cooed softly, making Olivia laugh and then whine in agony. Her head probably did really hurt. He reflexively jolted to check on her, but he was still stiff as a board. No reason, since he was not tied down. Unless the thing Olivia was talking about totally paralysed him. What could cause that?

“ _Girls_ ” he said, voice tense. Olivia snorted softly, 

“I hate that you call us that. Makes you seem older than you are” she said, but Gabriel also knew that Olivia wouldn’t listen if he called her anything else, be it her real name, code name, or an insult. Amélie tended to listen anyways, since she didn’t care to argue much, but it was easier to call them both at once than individually. 

“I’m almost sixty, _pendejo_ ” he snarled, extra emphasis on her favorite insult, which he thought was the least creative one possible. He would’ve insulted her more if the purple lights on the ceiling didn’t get brighter. God, his head hurt. Everything fucking hurt, more than usual. Olivia just laughed beside him, but she sounded just a bit nervous.

“The lights got brighter.” Amélie said.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious” Olivia said, but the remark was heartless.

Gabriel just clenched his eyes shut behind his mask, wanting everyone to just shut up so he could be in less pain. This was pissing him off. He sighed, more smoke filling the air around him. Olivia choked, 

“Goddammit, stop that!” Gabriel ignored her, just trying to think, 

“Do you know what those lights are, Sombra?” Gabriel asked, avoiding using their real names in case someone was listening in.

“They might be EMP’s, or something else that keeps electronics from working. I can’t get anything to work, and it’s making my implants hurt.”

“Yeah” Gabriel said, not wanting to give away how he felt. He shut his eyes again, feeling like he was being weighed down,but also on the verge of floating away. His mind went blank. He felt warm, now, and..

 

__

 

Next thing he knew, Gabriel jolted awake again. Fuck, he’d fallen asleep. At least his head didn’t hurt as bad…

Opening his eyes, he saw that the purple lights in the room had turned red. Or.. no, they weren’t red because these weren’t the same lights. It was brighter in the room now, and he saw the light reflecting off the red of a visor. He knew that visor. Goddammit. 

**"Jack. Jackie. John Francis-"** The echoing voice died as the soldier spoke,

“Well, look who decided to wake up” his rough voice said, not sounding the least bit amused. The visor wasn’t glowing, so Gabriel assumed it was off when the man wasn’t in combat. So then why would he still wear it?

“What the fuck am I doing here?” Gabriel snapped, shifting. Nope, he still couldn’t move. LED lights in the ceiling were shining, illuminating the room in a pure glow. He tried to look around as much as he could, but he, Olivia, and Amélie were separated enough that he couldn’t see them in his peripheral vision. 

“Wanted terrorist, mercenary, hunter of ex-Overwatch agents? Wonder why we might want to take you in. Hm…” The man scratched his greying temple for added sarcasm, “Lucky you brought your cronies with you, too.”

“Hey, we’re not his cronies, we work equally!” Olivia defended, the scowl evident in her voice. 

“Shut. Up.” The soldier said, turning his head to Olivia before he stood straight. Without the visor blocking most of Gabriel’s view, he could see that the room was mostly empty and white, save for whatever they were laying on. There was a large pane of glass on his left, closer to Amélie, that was mirrored so he couldn’t see out of it. He knew they could see in, though. An observation window. Now he felt even more exposed. 

“Hey, you’re crotchety for a hero” Olivia laughed, taunting the person she definitely shouldn’t be. If anyone decided to attack her, she didn’t have a means of escape right now. Gabriel knew she wouldn’t be attacked, but Olivia didn’t know Overwatch’s policies like he did. 

“I’m not a hero. Now shut up before I send you somewhere to be alone.” Olivia actually did shut up at that, though probably more to hear what the man wanted than anything else. The man sighed, not really looking at any of them, seeming to look at a wall “I was coming in to offer you all some food. We’ll have you sent some food if you want any.”

“How do we know you won’t poison us?” Olivia asked suspiciously.

Amélie answered instead of the man, “Why would they poison us if they want information from us?” The man nodded, 

“She’s a smart cookie. Now, anyone want food? I think we have soups, sandwiches, and fruit. Special requests have got to wait for now.” Something told Gabriel they wouldn’t get any special requests. 

“Yeah” he finally answered, just deciding the girls would need to eat at least. The man nodded and walked out, the door clicking and locking automatically behind him.

“Thank God, I was fucking starving..” Olivia whispered dramatically.

 

__

 

Jack walked down the hall towards the cafeteria. Angela’s heels clicking rapidly behind him. He slowed slightly to allow her to catch up,

“What do you think we should do?” Angela asked, pulling her lab coat a little tighter around herself. 

Jack sighed, “Leave it up to Winston. Just give him our observations.” 

“If you want me to think that you don’t care, I’m not falling for it” she said, looking up at the older man. Jack ignored her, just continuing to walk. She kept following, “That has to be LaCroix, right? Looks just like her, but less… her.” 

“So she didn’t just disappear. She went to Talon. Lena told me about what happened there. Didn’t think it was LaCroix, but I’m not surprised.” Jack rounded a corner, then pushed the doors to the cafeteria open. Angela still trotted beside him, 

“What about the third girl? Reinhardt said she’d just… appeared in front of him. He said he panicked and hit her, but I’ve never known anyone to sneak up on Reinhardt. Winston and I both searched criminal files in the area. Athena couldn’t find a face match either. It’s like she doesn’t exist.”

Jack could tell she was unnerved, “We’ll have to ask then. All we can do.” He knew it wouldn’t be that simple, but he didn’t feel like strategizing. It wasn’t his job anymore, so leave it to Winston and Lena. He grabbed three trays and began loading them all up with food. He’d been right. Sandwiches, soup, and fruit. Just like every day, save for special occasions. No government funding meant no variety, but he didn’t care. Better than starving. He sighed, placing a baby orange on each tray and an apple along with grilled cheese sandwiches and a small, plastic bowl of tomato soup. He grabbed bottles of water, then went to grab the trays, planning to try and stack them.

Angela took the third tray, “We don’t need you dropping them, Jack.” Jack decided to let her be useful, carrying the two trays to the coffee machine. He poured small cups of coffee and set them on the tray as well, along with napkins. He didn’t bother with sugar and creamer, since they needed to go out and buy more for the base. A chore for another day, and it wasn’t his turn to go shopping yet. He headed out of the cafeteria with the trays, Angela in tow. 

“Do you suppose we’ll have to keep them?” she asked.

Jack thought for a few moments, “We could turn Reaper and LaCroix in to the police. Don’t know if we can prove the other girl is a criminal, though.” Angela just nodded, pondering this for the walk back to the holding room. 

 

__

 

Gabriel sat in relative silence, listening to the small sounds of the world outside the room. Stabbing at a guess, he’d suppose they were at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. He could hear chatter and laughter passing by the room, but he also couldn’t really make out what was being said or if anyone familiar was saying it. After a short while, the door to their room opened again. 

“Finally!” Olivia cheered, driving a sigh from himself and Amélie. Gabriel watched the glowing visor on Jack’s face turn dim when the man entered the room. So it, like all other electronics, didn’t work in here. 

“We’re gonna let you sit up so you can all eat. We’ve got people waiting outside if you guys decide to try anything funny, so don’t” he warned, sounding serious. Something told Gabriel that if they tried anything, Jack would shoot at least one of them before whoever was outside had a chance to come help. Angela walked into the room behind Jack, placing a hand on his shoulder to slip past him. She set the tray in her arms down, probably by Amélie. She took a tray from Jack and set it at Gabriel’s feet, then the next with Olivia. Afterwards, she went to a light-switch on the wall. Jack moved to Gabriel, pulling straps over his ankles and thighs tightly and clipping them into place. He stepped back a bit, nodding. Angela flipped it and the purple lights in the ceiling went dim. 

Gabriel felt his entire body move almost involuntarily. He hadn’t even noticed how long he’d been straining against the weight to sit up. He groaned softly, watching as his hands and feet emitted smoke, almost incorporeal, but solid enough to make out. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay together. He didn’t miss how Jack’s hand rested on his side arm. The visor was glowing again as he walked to Olivia. Gabriel watched as he unclasped the leather straps that had kept her arms restrained to either side of the table. He didn’t release her legs. Angela did the same with Amélie’s restraints. 

Both girls sat up, Amélie’s body strung tight as a bow as she watched the man and woman retreat to the closed door, standing on either side of it. He didn’t even remember it closing, too focused on wanting to move. It was probably automatic. Looking down at himself, he found that he was missing all of his weapons, even the hidden ones. He could conjure his guns, but he also was sure he wouldn’t get very far. His gauntlets were missing as well, leaving just black gloves behind. He was thankful they’d left his mask alone. On top of everything missing, his legs were strapped together with leather. If he wanted to, he could wraith right out of the room. But Angela kept a hand on the light-switch, clearly not trusting them. 

**'Why should she? We’ve tried to destroy everyone she loves.'** Shut up.

If he tried anything, Angela would turn on whatever kept him down and Jack would probably shoot him. He didn’t feel like being full of lead right now. He watched as Olivia immediately made a dive for her food, stuffing nearly half the sandwich in her mouth at once.

“You’re going to choke, _crétin_ ” Amélie said, watching Olivia as well. Gabriel could see she was disgusted, and that almost made him laugh. Amélie brought her tray to her lap, eating delicately as always. 

“You not gonna eat, _viejo_?” Olivia asked, pointing to Gabriel’s plate. He felt the sharp pangs of hunger, though not as strongly as a regular person would. But, to eat, he’d have to take off his mask. So, he shook his head.

Jack turned his head towards him, just watching. Angela frowned, “You were all asleep for about a day, so you should all eat something.”

“He does not like to be watched while eating” Amélie stated, making Jack snort softly.

“Well, you’re not going to be moved somewhere special just so you can eat alone.”

“Then I won’t eat,” Gabriel said simply, “Problem solved.”

Angela didn’t seem very happy with that answer, looking to Jack. Jack didn’t look back at her, one hand on his sidearm and the other in the pocket if his leather jacket. Olivia grinned, “More for me!” and grabbed Gabriel’s tray. He didn’t stop her. Amélie rolled her eyes at Olivia, earning a stuck out tongue. 

“We should let him eat, Jack. You could stay by the door then, with your visor off?” Angela suggested after a few moments. Jack’s shoulders were tense and he looked to her, probably glaring. 

“You’re less threatening than me, Ange, sorry to say.” Angela just gave a fond smile, placing a hand on Jack’s chest,

“I’m going to assess the girls’ injuries after they eat. Go grab Reaper a plate and we’ll take him to a room to eat.” Gabriel would have argued against it, insisting he didn’t want to eat. He didn’t, really, but this might give him an opportunity to see the state of Overwatch and get to know his opponents a little better so he could find a fast way out. He could also use an excuse to stretch his legs. Staying still for too long would make fighting harder. 

“...Okay, fine. Call Mako to escort him to the room. Have Lena follow, in case he tries running.” With that, Jack was gone. Angela smiled at them, only kindness and fatigue evident on her face. She stepped out of the room, one foot in the doorway, 

“Athena, call Mako and Lena to my location please?” 

_**“Right away, Doctor Ziegler.”** _

Gabriel looked over at Olivia, who’d already finished her own tray and was almost done with the one that was supposed to be his. She didn’t look up, too busy eating with her eyes shut in bliss. As Gabriel studied her, he saw blood stains on her collar. He guessed she’d been bleeding on the side of her head that was facing away from him. At least it wasn’t the side where her implants were, lest they be damaged. 

He turned his attention to Amélie who was nursing her coffee slowly. He could see bruises that were nearly black on her skin. He hated when Amélie got hurt because her bruises weren’t like a normal person’s. If she was bruised, it looked closer to gangrene. It made him uncomfortable to look at, especially since she healed incredibly slowly due to her low heart beat. 

Gabriel sighed quietly, looking away from them both and crossing his arms over his chest. He heard quick footsteps, then he saw Lena come trotting into the room excitedly. She saluted Angela, one hand on her hip,

“Hi, Doc! Athena said you needed me for something?”

“Yes, thank you, Lena. I’m going to have you and Mako escort Reaper here to room seventeen B so he can eat. You will have to guard the door as well.”

“Uh, Doc? Can’t he, sort of, uh, smoke out of the vents?”

“There are no vents or any other escape routes than the door in that room, I think. If there are, try seventeen A, but that is upstairs.” Angela smiled, appreciating the concern probably. There goes his escape plan A.

Then again, escaping Lena and some man’s holds wouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world. Lena may be fast, but she was not the strongest. Especially when paired against a super soldier. Plus, Gabriel was able to win fights with Jack, so he was sure escaping from a man that didn’t have Jack’s training wouldn’t be much of a challenge. 

There were another set of footsteps that sounded… incredibly heavier than Lena’s light steps. He could feel the vibrations through the table he sat on. When the door opened again to allow another person into the room, he heard Olivia start choking on her food. He reached over to pat her back, unable to help but stare from behind the mask.

Before him was easily the largest human being he’d ever seen in his life. The only person close was Reinhardt when he was wearing his armor. This “Mako”, whom Reaper recognized as the wanted criminal Roadhog, dwarfed everyone and everything in the room. Lena and Angela both basically made eye contact with the pig tattooed on his stomach. Mako didn’t say a word, just looking down at them both. 

Angela smiled at him, “Lena will accompany you to escort Reaper here to another room so he may eat. Could you release him for me please?” Mako nodded and walked over to Gabriel. His face was unreadable behind the leather gas mask. Gabriel scowled behind his mask, thoroughly not enjoying how Mako loomed over him as he released his leg straps again. Great, fighting this monster wouldn’t be easy without any of his weapons. Maybe he could wait for another chance. 

Angela stepped out of the room as Mako grabbed Gabriel and pulled him off the table. His legs almost collapsed because of how long he’d been stagnant. He stood, a low growl escaping his throat as Angela returned with leg shackles with small purple lights all over them. She handed them to Mako, who grunted and knelt to place them on Gabriel’s legs. Once they were on, his lower half felt like lead. 

He turned to see Sombra staring at Mako with wide eyes, her mouth half open. He looked to Amélie, who was also staring at Mako, though less obviously. He also didn’t miss how Lena’s eyes kept shifting back and forth to Amélie uncomfortably. Mako stood straight again, pulling his pants up and stepping backwards. Gabriel shifted his legs, and it felt like he was almost glued to the floor. 

“Come on,” Lena’s chipper voice rang, a grin on her face despite the gun in her hand. Precaution, probably. Lena was never trigger happy as far as he remembered. Gabriel crossed his arms, 

“Not easy to walk. Might take a while.”

“That’s the point,” Mako said, leaning closer, “Better rush, before I make you start moving.”

**"Kill him."** Not a good idea right now.

Gabriel grunted, not wanting to show the slightest amount of intimidation but also not wanting to fight right now when he was at such a disadvantage. He slowly began shuffling his feet down the hall, wishing he could just smoke out so he could move faster. This was frustrating enough without Olivia laughing under her breath at him. He turned back and glared at her from the doorway, smoke puffing out from under his mask as he left. Olivia looked away when he looked at her, grinning to herself. 

Lena began following on one side of Gabriel, arms folded behind her back. She didn’t say anything, just smiling like an idiot at him every once in a while. Mako was at his other side, a huge hook in hand. Gabriel started to get used to the gait he had to carry now, able to move a little faster. Mako just grunted now and again and nodded his head in the direction he wanted Gabriel to head if they needed to turn a corner. 

Soon, after walking in a silence only broken by Mako’s occasional coughing or wheezing, Jack walked up to them and took stride beside Lena. Lena smiled up at him, 

“Hi, Jack! Winston wants you to train with the new recruits and some of the older ones today.”

“I’ll get the rubric from him later after this. Might just cover timing today, or something.” Jack said, Lena nodding along cheerfully and skipping a bit as she walked. She looked to Gabriel again and smiled at him. He didn’t give any indication that he’d seen her. 

“Dad! Daaaaddd! DAD!!” A squeaky woman’s voice suddenly called, the thumps of shoes hitting the ground rounding the corner. Gabriel looked towards the sound of it, seeing a rather small girl running towards them. Her cheeks had pink streaks on them, and she wore a big pink sweater.

She sprinted faster, jumping at Jack to hug him, “Jamie’s being a jerk! He says my meka sucks!” Mako turned his head to them, snorting as his shoulders shook silently. Lena grinned at them. 

“We can handle this later, Hana. Go with Lucio.” Jack said, looking down at her.

“No! He says his explosions are better! Go tell him he’s wrong!” Hana said, groaning and holding onto his waist. She leaned back, looking up at him, Dad! Beat him up!”

“I’m not going to beat up a kid. Now go, I’m busy.”

“You don’t care? This is blasphemy! And-” Finally, Hana seemed to notice Gabriel standing there. Her eyes traveled to Mako, then she looked back up to Jack. She peeled her arms off him sheepishly, then waved at Gabriel, 

“Hi, there!”

“Don’t say hello to him. Now go, I’ll get you later for training” Jack waved her away. Hana looked at him, nodding and hugging him quickly before she ran off in the opposite direction that she came from. Gabriel’s brow furrowed behind his mask, pondering what just happened as they started walking again. 

Dad? Was Jack a dad now? She was too old for him to be her real dad and he not know about it, but Jack did always want a family someday. Adoption, maybe? Had he adopted a girl? People always used to joke about Jack being the Overwatch dad, but the look on that girl’s face was different than anyone else’s when they ever looked at him, and the way he talked to her was different than he’d heard before. More fatherly. He didn’t want to think too far into it. 

**"He doesn't care about you, not like I do. He's got a new life now."** That was true, but what could he do about it?

Jack, Gabriel, Lena, and Mako all made their way down the hall until they got to another room. Jack unlocked the door with the swipe of a key card, holding it open with his foot after he entered. Lena went in first, then Gabriel with Mako at his back. Mako stayed by the door, crossing his arms quietly. Lena smiled and stood beside Mako, tapping her foot to stem her energy. Jack led Gabriel to the table, kicking the chair back so Gabriel could sit in it. Sitting down, Gabriel observed the food on the tray before him. Jack sat across from him at the other side of the table. He crossed his arms and leaned back.

“You two, wait outside. Come in if you hear anything suspicious, alright?” Lena nodded, giving a joking salute and hopping out of the room.

“Yes, sir!” Mako followed Lena out, though he was clearly more hesitant to do so. Gabriel scowled at Jack, 

“Why are you here? I don’t like to be watched while I eat” he pushed the tray away from himself slightly.

“I’m not gonna watch you” was all Jack said. He reached up and switched off his visor, the warm glow snapping into darkness before he reached his other hand up as well and unclipped the visor. He took it off, the base of it that was at the back of his head and over his ears remaining. He set the red visor down, his blue eyes wandering the room slowly.

Gabriel scoffed, “What, can’t shoot without your visor? I’m not eating until you’re not watching.”

“Gabe,” Gabriel’s hackles rose at hearing his name, let alone that nickname, out of Jack’s mouth, “You really haven’t figured it out?” he laughed incredulously and shook his head, which made Gabriel feel like a dumb child. 

**"Ever arrogant, Jack. Don’t laugh at us, I’m not an idiot. Motherfucker."**

“Figure out what?” Gabriel snapped over the rasp in his head, smoke puffing out of his mouth with his words. 

“I can’t watch you eat. I can’t see enough to do that, Gabriel. I’m blind.” Jack looked towards Gabriel, and he saw it. His eyes weren’t cloudy so much as distant, not focusing on Gabriel or anything around him. He was stuck for a moment, just staring as things started to piece together. How had he not figured out that Jack fucking Morrison was blind? 

Jack leaned against the table, arms crossed over his chest. Gabriel frowned, 

“How do you fight?” he asked after a moment. It was weird. There was tension in the room, but it wasn’t aggressive. Maybe because Gabriel was looking at Jack’s stupid face. Curse his dumb, sentimental, over-romantic heart. He looked away, reaching under his hood to unclip his mask and set it aside. He focused on the shape of his face, forcing the holes in his cheek to close so he could eat.

**"This feels like old times. Back before everything. Bittersweet."** It did feel like it used to, but with an added weight just at the edges of their conversation.

“Visor lets me see where things are. It’s not much, but I can make out solid shapes.” Jack’s leather-clad fingers grazed over the edges of the glass screen on his visor, his eyes moving about the room still. Gabriel started to eat, not responding as he thought about that.

“From the explosion?” Jack nodded at that. His eyes settled towards Gabriel again, and Gabriel almost scrambled for his mask before remembering that there wasn’t any point. 

“So, you can’t see anything?” Jack thought about Gabriel’s question, probably trying to describe it. 

“I can still see some things. It’s like.. Looking through a frosted window.. But, it’s dark too. I can see light, and some really vague shapes, but no details or anything like that. It’s useless, almost. I have no, what did Angie call it? Depth perception.”

“What’s that like?”

“I don’t know how far away things are. Even with the visor on, I still don’t. Nothing is 3D, as if it’s all on one plane,” Jack shrugged and sighed, leaning back in his seat. Gabriel nodded, thinking about this. He studied Jack’s face, looking at the scars on his face. They were deeper than they looked from a distance, making his nose look broken and curling the edge of his top lip up to show his canine in a permanent snarl. There were more scars there, but the rest were smaller and not so noticeable. 

**"You did this to him. You destroyed him. It's your fault!"** He'd heard that message before.

Gabriel continued to eat, watching Jack and the door with tense shoulders. He looked around. There were no vents, but it wasn’t hot in the room since it was autumn. Looking back to Jack again, he noticed something else.

“Why do your eyes move like that? They… shake” Gabriel said, having tried to think of a way to describe it. Jack’s eyes twitched side to side quickly. It wasn’t a lot, only a slight shaking, but enough that Gabriel had noticed while observing the man before him. 

Jack looked towards Gabriel again, his eyes shaking the same way as before, “Angie called it something…” he rubbed a hand through his silvery white hair, and Gabriel’s heart ached. Jack still had the same habits. Jack held a hand at the back of his head at he thought, eyebrows furrowed, “Nystagmus. It’s a brain thing.” His hand dropped to the table again, and he tilted his head towards the door slightly, listening. He just let his head rest that way, and silence fell over the room as Gabriel continued to chew his food. 

**"With all that, killing him would be easy. Do it now! A fork in the neck, simple."** No, he wouldn't do that. He couldn't.

Once he finished eating, Gabriel clipped his mask back onto his head and leaned back in his chair, “I’m done.” Jack nodded, grabbing his visor and pressing it back to his face. A snapping sound was heard as the red glow flashed, Jack’s shoulders stiffening for a moment before he stood up. He pointed at Gabriel, or, a little to the left,

“Stay there.” Jack walked to the door and banged on it twice. The metal echoed a moment before the door opened and Angela walked into the room, a smooth smile on her lips. Mako followed and Lena stayed by the door as it closed. Gabriel felt like he was in the hot seat, so he crossed his arms and straightened up. Angela sat before Gabriel, and Jack went to her side. He slid his foot out and kicked the chair before sitting down. 

**"Intimidating."**

“What do you want?” Gabriel asked, his voice gruff.

Angela was unfazed, placing her hands on the table ever gracefully, “I wanted to inform you of the medical exams. Sombra had a concussion and a cut on her head, so I’ve moved her to the medical wing. She’s fine, however,” a small quirk of her lips, “Amélie was fine as well other than the bruises and some cuts.” 

Gabriel nodded to show he understood, but didn’t say anything else.

“I was going to offer a medical examination for yourself. I was unable to tell if you had any injuries.”

Funny how well Angela could lie. She could be an actress. Pretending as if he didn’t come to her for exams already. Like this was their first meeting since everything happened. 

“I’m fine,” Gabriel said, “Nothing hurts.”

**"..Liar. Everything hurts. Everything fucking hurts,"** went the voice in the back of his mind. Always there.

Jack nodded, then faced Gabriel, “Then we’ll move on. You, Amélie, and Sombra aren’t being freed any time soon. We have you here, so we’ll give you the same deal we give every other criminal we get. Either spend the rest of your life in a maximum security prison that we know you won’t escape from. Or, join us, and be good.” 

Gabriel could imagine the irony on Jack’s face. Those exact words had been said by them both before, but never one to the other. Some decided to take the prison and try to leave, and some decided to be smart and join Overwatch. Gabriel had yet to hear a successful escape story of the criminals they’d sent off to prisons. He was somewhat sure Jack might not even bother with the prison. Might just throw him in a hole in the ground to rot. 

“Did Sombra and Amélie get asked?” 

“Not yet, but we’re sure they’ll follow you,” Angela said, eyes subtly scanning Gabriel over. 

Now he had two options. Somehow get the three of them out of an isolated island with no communication to Talon, or join Overwatch. Risk their lives to escape, or give Amélie a chance to live again. Ruin every chance they have, or give Olivia a shot at learning. Go back to a world of being expendable, or do something that means something. Be stupid, or be smart.

“We’ll join.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Comments? Want to rant about your ship? Find me on:  
> \- [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chubbyghost)  
> \- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ChubbyGhost3)  
> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reaper has signed into Overwatch, so now he must act under their rules. Many things have changed, but much still remains the same. Memories never change, and Reaper's are no different. However, a certain doctor seems to enjoy the company of the man Gabriel once called his own. Does Jack know, or is he too busy to care? Does Angela plan to act on her feelings? She's gone this long without a confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello!
> 
> Chapter 2, we see more of Jack's mind and how badly Angela is love-struck! 
> 
> I get a lot of my info about blindness from Molly Burke because she's so informative and she's honest about it. I find it easier to learn from her and other YouTubers like her than from medical videos haha  
> Here are some links that give a little more info on Jack's vision:  
> [Nystagmus (eye shaking)](https://youtu.be/oBB8nIz9FW0)  
> [Vision](https://youtu.be/oY-VpSQpK-Q)
> 
> Of course Jack's vision is not exactly like Molly's, but I draw my inspiration from what she sees with the light and shadow perception and lack of depth perception <3

Jack’s visor hid any indication of emotion on his face at Gabriel’s words. Instead, he nodded and stood. He turned to Mako and Lena, 

“Escort him to Winston’s office. Angela, come on,” he held his hand out for her to take. Angela smiled lightly up at him, taking his hand and standing. He released her afterwards, but Gabriel’s gaze burned on their hands. It hadn’t gone over his head how often Angela touched him. His chest, his shoulder, his hand. 

**”Why do you care?”** the voice in his head asked. That putrid voice, it was his own, and had been there ever since Moira’s experiments. 

He didn’t care. He didn’t. Except that he did care. Nobody touched Jack that casually except for him. Jack didn’t let anyone else close enough, as far as he knew. 

**”You care about him.”**

He didn’t care. He wouldn’t let himself. Jack left the room with Angela following behind, the dainty clicks of her heels tapping after Jack’s footfalls. Gabriel stood as well, almost collapsing when his legs forgot how to carry weight with the EMP’s at his ankles. He leaned over to grasp his left leg- a prosthetic, to shift it to carry weight easier, and Lena blinked to his side with a hand out to help him. He scowled, 

“I’m fine! Piss off.”

“You sure, Reaper?” He stood suddenly and she jumped back, Mako stepping forwards instead. Gabriel growled low in his throat,

**”Hit her!”**

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Lena nodded slowly, arm twitching like she might offer it to him for support but thought better of it. She blinked to the door, opening it as Gabriel shuffled across the floor. Mako walked behind the two as they began going down the hallway. 

A long, silent walk later through Watchpoint: Gibraltar, they had gone through several buildings and Gabriel’s body was killing him now. He forced himself not to limp as he walked, smoke billowing from his body as he walked. Mako had inhaled a yellow gas from a canister at some point, coughing loudly as they walked. 

They managed to get to Winston’s office and bedroom area, Mako knocking loudly. The door opened and Athena’s voice spoke overhead, 

**_“Greetings, Mako. Hello, Tracer. Welcome back, Reyes.”_**

Gabriel scowled at the sound of his last name, looking around a moment before following Lena and Mako into the room. Lena blinked into the room, standing by Winston. The gorilla looked up from his desk, a half smile on his face, 

“Well, hello! Morrison told me over the comm that you said yes! Welcome to the team!” he gestured to a seat across from the desk. Gabriel sat down before the ape, subtly trying to rub his knee where it ached so badly. 

“I want to give you a basic rundown of what to expect,” Winston said, leaning back in the large office chair and pushing his glasses up. Gabriel looked around the room, seeing a large tire swing hanging from the ceiling. There were various potted plants and trees around the room, as well as stacks of papers. Around the large room were several starter inventions and blueprints. The tesla cannon rested against the wall behind the desk. Despite it belonging to Winston now, the Strike Commander office looked about as messy as it had when it belonged to Jack, though with different items on the floor. 

Gabriel looked at Winston then, “Should be the same, right?” he guessed. Winston hesitated a moment before shaking his head, settling an intense gaze onto Gabriel, 

“Not quite. We’ll treat you like a new recruit, because we handle things differently than before,” Gabriel took the comment as a jab towards Jack, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he focused on what had to do with him, 

“A new recruit? I’m trained already.”

“Yes, that is true, but we have to make sure you will follow our policies. We know you used to be with us Gabriel, but that was… a long time ago. Things have changed,”

“We all have.”

“So you understand,” a humorless laugh passed Winston’s lips, “We have to take all necessary precautions.”

This was Winston code for, ‘We don’t trust you for a second, but we can’t let you go either.’

Gabriel nodded, “What happens next, then?” 

Winston smiled again, shifting forward and turning on the computer. He tapped away at the keyboard, the screen facing away from Gabriel, “Angela will need to do a full examination on you, but that can wait. Your training starts today. You’ll be with the others.”

“Who runs training?” Gabriel asked, knowing it could be a range of people.

“Jack mostly handles it. When he is... unavailable, Reinhardt takes over. Ana stays there sometimes too.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. Of course the old men couldn’t keep from doing something for once. He wondered briefly what Reinhardt and Ana were like now, but he also figured Reinhardt would always be the same excitable man as always. Thinking about it exhausted him, and he just wanted to sleep.

“Is that it?” Gabriel asked. 

“Just about. Lena, have Zenyatta come in, please.”

Lena nodded, jumping out of the room basically, “Right away!” Gabriel frowned. That name sounded vaguely familiar.

After a few minutes, the steady wheezing breaths of Mako behind Gabriel and the shifts of Winston marking the passage of time, Lena returned. Her voice carried her blabbering about several things, but none of them Gabriel could keep track of. Behind her, floating silently, followed an omnic with a scratched faceplate and yellow, tattered pants. 

Now he registered the name. The important Shambali members had similar names. A sign of high brotherhood, or something. Zenyatta did not speak, just nodding as Lena spoke about a butterfly she saw once that was very pretty. Zenyatta paused at the side of the desk, hands folded in his lap nicely, 

“You requested my presence?”

Winston nodded, motioning to Gabriel in the chair across from him, “This is the man you will be speaking to.”

Zenyatta turned his head to Gabriel, his forehead array blinking slowly. He held his hand out, “Hello. I am Tekhartha Zenyatta.” Gabriel scowled, smoke puffing from his nose and cheek as he stared at the shiny hand. The slow rotation of the mala around Zenyatta’s neck was distracting.

**”Tin cans. Of course.”**

Gabriel did a very brief handshake, pulling away as quickly as their hands met, “Reaper.” 

Winston shook his head, but did not say anything about the name. Gabriel ignored him, staring at the old model of omnic before him, 

“What do you want?”

Zenyatta tilted his head just slightly, fingers steepling in a relaxed way in front of his chest, “Just before your capture, you shot my student in the side. He took little damage from it, but I do not appreciate the gesture,” something in the omnic’s tone changed. Subtle, but dangerous once Gabriel caught it, “You also attempted to shoot me, but I managed to avoid it. Winston has given the decision of how this will be handled to me. I have decided, instead of manual labor as many have suggested,” there was amusement in his voice, “you shall join me for morning and evening meditation every day. If Ms. Widowmaker decides to join as well, she will be joining us.”

There was an almost silent snort of laughter from Mako, but Gabriel was just glaring daggers at the monk. No fucking way was he going to meditate every day. Twice a day. With an omnic. Winston must have sensed how much Gabriel did not want to this, so he spoke up, 

“This is a part of your agreement, Reyes. Not permanent, just until Zenyatta is satisfied.”

Gabriel looked to Winston, “Is that all? Can I leave now?” After a moment, Winston nodded, 

“Mako, take him to his quarters, please.”

Gabriel could not leave the office quickly enough, literally, as the EMP’s seemed to get heavier with each step he took. Mako looked at him every once in a while when his gait became uneven, but he didn’t say anything. The large man was a slow walker when he wasn’t trying to keep up with Lena. They didn’t run into a single person in the hallways, but they also walked the side halls instead of the main ones.

Mako and Gabriel arrived to a room so familiar it made Gabriel almost lose his form. It was his old room, though his name plate and number were long taken down. Mako grunted quietly, then walked away and left Gabriel frozen in the hallway.

**”Why be upset? Just a stupid room.”**

It was just a stupid room, but there were so many memories here that he was almost overwhelmed. After a long time of mustering up the courage, Gabriel punched an almost forgotten number into the keypad. A moment of processing, and a confirmation screen popped up. The door slid open, and Gabriel was greeted with a lovely sight. 

The room was full of boxes labelled, “Gabriel’s stuff”. There was no furniture save for a mattress and frame, but there was no pillows or blankets. He stepped into the room slowly, the door sliding closed behind him with a small hiss. He looked at the boxes but did not remotely consider opening one, just wanting to rest for now.

He sat on the bed, his black robe bleeding away into smoke, slower because of the EMP’s. He sat in just his black sweater, pants, and his boots. His gloved hands ran down his left leg, rubbing the aching point where the leg ended. His entire body hurt, but he couldn’t wraith out to relieve the pain. Just getting rid of the robe had taken too much effort. He lie back onto the bed, settling uncomfortably into a familiar dip in the mattress that housed a different body perfectly. He sighed, smoke filling the room from his entire body. He remained mostly sold, just fading at the edges.

Just as he started to relax, a female voice spoke from the ceiling, _**“Hello, Reyes. I am Athena. I have been instructed by Winston to monitor you to assure the safety of the base. I will keep track of your appointments and I will report any suspicious activity.”**_

“Are you filming me?” Gabriel asked, feeling like he was caught in the gaze of a voyeur.

**_“No. I will only record suspicious behavior. All other activities will be ignored.”_** Gabriel didn’t trust her, but he also seemed not to have a choice. He growled quietly, 

“Do you still take commands?”

**_“Yes.”_ **

“Shut off the lights.” The lights of his room powered down, leaving just the dim blue lights of Athena in the corners of his room and the middle of the ceiling. They were not bothersome so much as alarming, but he did his best to ignore them and the pain in his body.

__

Jack made his way to the infirmary with Angela at his back. She rushed to catch up to his side, grabbing his elbow with a light grasp and pulling him to a stop. He turned and looked down at her. It had taken a long time to get used to the vision through his visor. Everything was different shades of red, and it all looked muddy. He could make out some details, but not fine ones. He relied mostly on Angela’s ponytail to tell it was her. 

“Yes?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“You walk fast, it’s hard to keep up!” she laughed. He’d heard that before. Old habit, he supposed, to rush everywhere. He nodded, 

“Alright, lead the way then,” he made a motion with his hand for her to start.

Angela began walking, Jack following beside her. He shuffled his feet slightly when he saw there were obstacles in the hallway, not wanting to trip over them and embarrass himself or stress her out. Angela looked at him again, 

“How was the lunch? Did he eat?”

Jack nodded, thinking about their conversation. It had almost been like old times, without the threat of death looming over them. 

He sighed softly, “It was fine. He hasn’t tried anything yet.” He wondered why Gabriel hadn’t tried to attack anyone so far. The most he’d done was intimidation tactics, but even then he didn’t do much else. He could almost imagine why. It was the same reason Gabriel hadn’t killed him despite his many opportunities.

Ignoring the thoughts rattling his brain, he entered the infirmary behind Angela. He watched her legs move fluidly. How was she still so graceful with the weight of Overwatch’s wellbeing on her shoulders? He’d lost his touch long ago, after he stopped caring about his image. Why would he keep up the facade of a well put together man, when nobody knew he was even alive?

He looked around instead, nodding his head at Genji in one of the beds, the curtain half open. He wasn’t hurt very badly, but Angela made him stay for a bit just to make sure nothing happened. Genji waved back, and Jack continued along with Angela. They went to the curtain that was fully drawn, Angela opening it just enough to allow the two into the area. 

Sombra lie there in the bed, and Jack could make out that her head was wrapped up. She didn’t have any monitors or anything on her, since she wasn’t in very bad condition. Best not to waste resources. Amélie sat in a chair beside the bed, still as a statue. 

Jack stood near the curtain as Angela went to wake Sombra, murmuring softly to help. Sombra groaned softly, and Jack heard creaking of the bed as she tried to sit up,

“No, no, lie down. You’re okay. Amélie’s here too.” Angela said, her hand moving towards the Frenchwoman in the chair. Sombra whined softly, 

“Hurts. Where am I? Who’re you?” she asked. 

Amélie spoke, but she didn’t move, “We got captured. We’re in Overwatch headquarters.”

“Oh. Shit, that sucks.” Jack watched, observing Sombra’s slow movements and minimal concern for her capture. He knew Angela had her on painkillers, so he tried to think of how to simplify his questions. 

“My name is Angela Ziegler, I am your doctor. This is Jack, he has to ask you two something.”

Sombra laughed, “Soldier: 76, right? Heard about you way before… Jack isn’t a soldier name.” Jack ignored her mumbling, not wanting to waste his breath on a reply,

“I have an offer for you two. LaCroix, Sombra,” he said their names to make sure that he had their attention. Sombra’s silence told him that he did, 

“We can either release you to a maximum security prison, or you can sign into Overwatch’s ranks. Your choice,” he said bluntly.

Unsurprisingly, Amélie didn’t answer and Sombra laughed. He didn’t say or do anything, just waiting. He saw Angela step, but couldn’t tell if she’d gotten closer. 

Sombra giggled softly, “Did you ask Reaper? He’d get a kick outta this!” 

“I did.”

“What’d he say?” Sombra asked, clearly expecting something entertaining.

“He’s joined us. We came to ask you right after he agreed.” Jack got some satisfaction over how Sombra’s laughter stopped immediately.

Amélie, surprisingly, spoke, “We want to talk to him first.”

“Fine.” Jack turned slightly, searching the ceiling for a light that indicated Athena was listening, 

“Athena!”

_**“Yes, Mr. Morrison?”** _

“Call Reyes here. Tell him his friends wanna chat.” 

_**“Alright, Mr. Morrison.”**_ The light blinked a few times. Jack left the curtained off area, walking out to stand in the hallway instead. He crossed his arms and leaned against the cold wall, scanning up and down the hall routinely so he wouldn’t miss Gabriel’s entry. 

Looking to his right, he saw Gabriel’s dark red form. It was sort of funny how Gabriel was such a dark color that he was almost the same color through the visor. He seemed to be standing still and moving at the same time, but Jack knew by the sounds of footsteps that he was indeed walking closer. He observed him subtly, noticing that he walked just about the same, albeit a little heavier. Gabriel hadn’t changed as much as he thought he did. Jack nodded his head to acknowledge the other man’s presence., 

“Amélie asked for you,” he opened the door and stepped in, accidentally brushing shoulders with Gabriel. He stepped away, not acknowledging it or how his heart spiked just a little. Gabriel nodded and followed him to the curtained area without saying anything. Jack held his hand out a little earlier than he should have because he couldn’t tell if he was close enough, but he played it off, grasping the curtain and pulling it back once the fabric touched his fingertips. 

Gabriel walked past Jack into the room, sitting on the edge of Sombra’s bed. Angela adjusted a blanket over Sombra, patting her before moving to Jack and taking him gently by the arm. Jack frowned, but followed Angela away from the area. Privacy. Angela was big on it. She pulled the curtain closed, then took Jack to go check on Genji. 

“I do not like them being here,” Genji said earnestly once they entered, the mask off of his face so Angela could take his temperature. Jack nodded, 

“We give the option to everyone we take. You know that. If we didn’t, you and Jesse wouldn’t be here,” he watched Angela as she tested Genji’s joints to make sure they were in working order. Jack remembered when he’d first met Genji. He was a totally different man then. They both were.

Genji looked away, “Master Zenyatta and Lena told me about that Widowmaker. I…” he trailed off, but Jack knew what he was trying to say. 

“It’s Ana and Zenyatta’s conversation to have. If they decide they don’t want her here, then Winston will handle it,” Jack sighed, listening to the quiet murmur across the room behind the curtains, “They’re talking to Winston right now as far as I know.”

“I’ll talk to Master about it more..” Jack knew Zenyatta probably wanted to give Amélie a chance. He was sceptical as well, considering what had happened to Ana and Gérard because of the other sniper.

They sat and chatted a little longer as Angela cleared Genji for training before Genji’s curtain drew back. Amélie stood there, and she spoke softly, 

“Sombra and I will join.” Jack figured it was because Gabriel was staying, but he didn’t mind. In truth, Overwatch needed the help. He could feel tension coming off of Genji in waves, so he lightly bumped the bed the cyborg sat on with his leg to keep him from saying anything sarcastic.. Jack nodded, walking out of the curtained area and across to the other one. Amélie followed at his side, and Jack opened the curtain for her.

Jack looked down at the three when Amélie sat, his arms behind his back, “This evening, after supper, you two will follow me and my team to the training room. You must report, or there will be consequences. Athena will call when it’s time to eat.” 

Sombra smiled, “Yay, I don’t gotta go..” she rolled around in her bed to get comfortable again. Gabriel made a small sound, but Jack ignored it. He turned and left after that, waving to Genji and Angela on his way out. 

__

Gabriel stayed in the infirmary with Olivia and Amélie until Athena’s voice spoke throughout the entire watchpoint, 

**_“Attention all members. Dinner time begins now. Please make your way over to the cafeteria.”_**

Angela appeared in their little curtain cubicle, smiling, “Go on and get your food. Sombra will be fed here, we have things delivered,” she assured. Gabriel and Amélie stood slowly, saying goodbye to Olivia and promising they’d check on her after training. 

Gabriel led Amélie down the familiar halls, his body aching still but not as badly as it had before he’d had his moments of rest. He could already tell that having Athena around was going to drive him insane. 

“How does it feel to be back?” Amélie asked, just the lightest amount of amusement in her voice. He frowned at her, 

“Oh, it’s great. Everything I do is monitored and controlled. Probably can’t even piss without Athena watching.”

Amélie nodded, “Maybe you can earn their trust back?” 

Gabriel snorted, “That’ll be _so_ easy.”

Amélie shrugged, “They don’t like me either. Oh well.” she looked around, running a hand over her head to smooth the flyaways in her ponytail. 

Gabriel nodded, pushing the large, white doors to the cafeteria open. There were several large, round tables set up with chairs all around them. People were already everywhere as Gabriel and Amélie entered. 

At one table was Reinhardt, his booming laugh echoing the area as he ate a styrofoam bowl of noodles. Ana sat at the table with him, her eyes shut as she nursed a cup of tea. Torbjörn was there as well, laughing at whatever Reinhardt was saying and eating an apple. Gabriel’s heart ached to see his old friends at the table, so he tore his gaze away.

**”They don’t want anything to do with you. They’re not your friends. Don’t think about them.”** He could try his best. 

He went to a long bar with food options laid out upon it. He noticed there was just enough set out for every person. That meant their options were just about nonexistent, so he grabbed a tuna sandwich for himself and some fruits. He took a bottle of water too.

Amélie took some grapes and frowned as she looked at the foods. She settled on a styrofoam cup of noodles like what Reinhardt had, using a bottle of water and a nearby microwave to cook it. Gabriel laughed quietly, 

“Sombra get you to like them?” Amélie shot him a look, rolling her eyes as she waited for the food to be done. He looked around the room again. He could feel people’s eyes on him. He looked around for the red visor, but didn’t see it. He frowned. Where was he? Everyone had to go to dinner, he’d said.

**”Jack’s a hypocrite. When was the last time he did what he told everyone to do?”**

Gabriel crossed his arms, waiting for Amélie’s food to be done. When the microwave beeped, Amélie took the cup of noodles and her small bowl of grapes, carrying them along as Gabriel led her to an empty table. He faced the wall where he knew nobody would be able to see his face. Amélie sat beside him, using a plastic fork to mix her noodles up.

Gabriel frowned, making sure his hood would obscure any possibility of someone seeing his face from any angle except being right in front of him. He slid his mask up just enough for his mouth to be exposed enough to eat. Focusing again on the shape of his mouth, he took his sandwich out of the container, eating quietly. He felt exposed and he hated it, but he had to eat or more people were going to pay attention to him.

**”They’re staring.”**

Amélie frowned, “Why do these taste so… good?”

“Because they’re warm and unhealthy,” Gabriel replied through a mouthful of tuna, smirking a bit. She elbowed him subtly. Despite being dignified, Amélie had a soft spot for unhealthy foods that most people did not know about. He didn’t know either until he’d found her in the Talon kitchen eating a whole bag of cheetos by herself in the middle of the night. He and Olivia had taken it upon themselves to supply Amélie with junk foods after that, cooking for her as well when they were able to. 

Suddenly, he heard rapid footsteps coming towards them. He whipped his mask down over his face, turning around angrily. Smoke wafted off him. He saw three people approaching his table, smiling. One was the girl from earlier, Hana, some earbuds hanging over her shoulder and her brown hair in a loose bun on top of her head. To her left was a man with wild, blonde hair that honestly looked burnt. He was only wearing some jeans and one shoe. The other leg was just a peg leg, and Gabriel noticed the ugly orange hand the man had. It took a moment to put a name to the grinning face. Junkrat, right? He’d gone on a crime spree with Roadhog. Great.

On the other side of Hana was a man with a kind face and dreadlocks that were pulled into a ponytail. He wore a green tank top with a frog on it and had headphones hanging off his neck. He had blue armor over his legs, making Gabriel think they might be prosthetic, but he didn’t care enough to ask. 

Hana smiled at Gabriel and Amélie, “Hey! You’re new here, so we wanted to come introduce ourselves!” the three all took their seats at the table. Looking at Amélie, she looked about as unhappy with this as Gabriel was. He frowned, 

“No thanks.”

He seemed to be ignored, Hana holding her hand out to them, “My name’s Hana! I’m a part of the MEKA pilots in Korea! They call me D.va.” Gabriel looked at her hand, not shaking it. His arms were crossed across his chest. Amélie slowly took her hand, frowning and not saying anything.

“Nice to meet you. This is Jamison!” The bonde man waved, grinning, 

“G’day!” and he started eating like he were starving.

“And this is Lúcio,” Hana said. The man with dreadlocks waved, smiling sweetly, 

“Hi!” 

Gabriel and Amélie just stared at the three for a moment before Lúcio prompted, his expression making Gabriel think he had no sense of when people didn’t want to talk, 

“What are your names?” he asked, sipping at some soda.

Amélie sighed, “Amélie. Hello,” and she continued to eat quietly. Gabriel slumped his shoulders, 

“Reaper.”

“Your real name, not your tag name, silly!” Hana laughed. Jamison nodded his agreement, but was too busy eating a sandwich to say anything. 

Gabriel was about to say something rude, but he also didn’t want to get reported to Winston right after having talked to him. He might make him do something else ridiculous.

“Gabriel,” he said hesitantly. 

Lúcio’s eyes glittered, “Oh! I’ve heard about you!” he laughed, nudging Hana, “Dad said something about a Gabriel, remember?” 

“So you call him Dad too?” Gabriel scoffed.

Lúcio nodded, smiling, “Yeah! We all do! Right, Jaime?” 

Jamison nodded, laughing, “Yeah, just the old folks don’t! I think Bas calls him it too, but… I can’t really tell!”

Gabriel thought about this, “You’re not his real kids, right?” 

“I wish!!” all three agents said, laughing at each other.

“Why?” he asked incredulously. 

“Well..” Hana pursed her lips, “He’s just a really good man! He helps us a lot. You should get to know him,” she laughed.

Gabriel had to keep from scoffing, just nodding fakely, “I’ll consider it. Why are you here?”

“Uh, save the world!” Lúcio said, laughing. Gabriel groaned, 

“No, at my table.”

**”Idiots.”**

“Oh..” Lúcio laughed softly, “You looked like you could use some friends!”

“Plus, not a lotta people seem happy that you’re here!” Jamison nodded frankly, “Didn’t like it when Roadie n’ I showed up neither. ‘s okay! They showed up n’ made friends!” he said, sticking his thumb to the two beside him. Hana grinned, 

“Yeah, plus you two seemed nice!”

Gabriel wondered if she was as blind as Jack, or just as dumbly trusting. He and Amélie looked to each other, then snorted softly to each other.

“We’re not known for being nice,” Amélie stated, sipping her drink daintily. 

“Neither was I, but these two don’t care! Neither do I!” Jamison stated, “Plus you’re with us anyways for trainin’ so we might as well be friendly.”

Gabriel grimaced at the large smile on the other man’s face. He looked around when he heard the cafeteria door open, and Jack walked in wearing his visor. A young girl followed at his side, her coarse hair twisted back into a short ponytail. She had white spots painted above and below her eyes and was dressed in a lot of greens and whites. She was chattering about something to Jack, who was nodding slowly. 

“Uh-huh I’ll give a lesson on omnics today then. Now go eat, you can’t work forever,” Jack admonished. Hearing this, Gabriel decided Jack was a bit of a hypocrite, but he’d already known that. Never had he met such a workaholic before.

**”Happy to see him?”**

He was, and he despised it. He’d been scanning the room for Jack over and over again. Why did he keep looking for him? Was he really that attached, after all these years? 

The girl looked up at Jack, crossing her arms, “You’d better be eating too, Jack! I know you don’t always!” she scolded right back. That brought a faint laugh out of Jack, who nodded, 

“Okay, I’ll eat if you make my plate,” he joked, a smile in his voice behind his mask. She laughed and nodded happily, 

“Sure!” Jack shook his head quickly,

“I was joking, kid!” he said, following the girl to the food bar. She still read labels to him.

Lúcio grinned from the table, “Efi! Come over here!” 

Efi. Gabriel had heard that name before. He looked to Amélie, and she thought for a moment, then shrugged with one shoulder. He sighed, shaking his head. She was so helpful.

Efi ran over to them, sitting beside Lúcio. Great, more people. This forced Jack to sit beside Gabriel, and Gabriel didn’t mind that as much as he wanted to. Jack shook his head, “Are you three bugging the new recruits?”

Hana, Lúcio, and Jamison all smiled as innocently as possible, “Noooooo” they said, laughing at each other.

“Yes,” Gabriel said. Jamison gasped, 

“I thought we were friends!”

“Never said that,” Gabriel rolled his eyes and slouched a bit. 

“Behave or I’ll tell Mako.” Jack said.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Jack, after taking off his mask and visor, pointed towards Jamison, “I would, actually,” he cupped a hand over his mouth, taking a breath like he was about to shout. Jamison practically leapt over the table trying to silence the elder man, 

“Dad! No!”

Jack leaned back when Jamison tried grabbing at him, the other young people at the table laughing loudly. Jack pushed Jamison back and started eating his sandwich.

Jamison glared at Jack distrustfully, sticking his tongue out. Gabriel observed this interaction, observing how Jack behaved with the younger recruits. He saw less of the old, bitter soldier and more of the young farm boy who enjoyed life. His heart ached at the small smile on Jack’s lips as he listened to Lúcio and Efi talk about some sort of technology. 

After a moment, Jack drank his water and motioned to the young recruits at the table, “Hey, move on to the other tables and make sure everyone on the rubric shows up after supper. After that, you’re excused to the rec room.” Jack pulled a folded up paper out of his jacket pocket and set it on the table, Efi swiping it before Jamison could.

Hana cheered and got up, “Yes!!” and clattered out of the chair she sat in. Lúcio, Jamison, and Efi all followed her lead. They all started to leave, Jack getting up to take the seat across from Gabriel and Amélie. Hana turned back, smiling and hugging Jack, “Later, Dad.”

This brought an impromptu group hug between Jack and the others, Efi laughing as she held onto their waists. Jack didn’t hug them back, just ruffling their heads and nodding, “Okay, okay. Go on, you weirdos.”

The kids ran off together, chatting about video games. Jack waited until the voices receded to other areas of the cafeteria, sighing and looking near Gabriel, “You can eat now,” was all he said, clipping the visor back on and walking to where the original Strike Team sat, all eating peacefully but the ever talkative Reinhardt. 

Gabriel stared for a few moments, wondering why Jack was being nice. He shook his head, deciding to worry about it later and hurried up to finish his meal once he slipped his mask up. Amélie drank the soup left in her styrofoam cup, giving Gabriel a knowing look. He curled his lip at her, looking away pointedly. 

__

Gabriel managed to eat most of his food by the time Athena’s voice came online. 

**_“Dinner time is over. Please make your way to your designated areas. Any questions may be directed to Winston.”_ **

Everyone in the cafeteria started getting up, so Gabriel followed suit. He threw away the sandwich container and walked with Amélie to the training areas, chatting quietly. His feet felt heavy as he walked through the large, glass sliding doors and looked over at the indoor training area. Nobody was there, so he figured they were outside. There was a large icon on the wall signalling Athena’s control of the area, making him feel even more watched than before.

**”No privacy here.”** As if he had any at Talon either, though they were a lot sneakier with their spying. Overwatch seemed to have nothing to hide in that regard. 

**”They upped Athena’s security because of you,”.** the voice said. It wasn’t just because of him. Jack had stolen military equipment from them, and there were many other instances to cause it. Though, he was sure he had a hand in it all. 

Passing through a large, slatted door he entered the outer training areas where he saw others gathering. He looked out over the ramps, ledges, and training bots. Some were just shooting each other, others stood stagnant, and others moved back and forth rhythmically. The smell of ocean spray filled his nose, bringing forth a wave of memories of training here early in the mornings or taking walks with Jack to clear their heads. Jack loved the ocean, he remembered, because he’d never seen it growing up. Gibraltar honestly hadn’t changed much. 

**”Nothing is the same. You won’t get those times back.”** Gabriel knew that, but he had every right in the world to remember the good times once in a while.

His gaze tracked the group of people he was greeting. There was Hana, Lúcio, and Jamison. Beside Jamison, silently listening to Jamison talk his ear off, was Mako. He saw Genji there, laughing with Zenyatta and Jesse. Gabriel elected to avoid them. Angela was there, and Olivia stood beside her, though a little wobbly. She grinned and waved at them. There was a large omnic next to Angela, nodding its head at a chart Angela was showing. It was quadrupedal with green and yellow colorings. It looked like an OR-15 but more expressive and… almost human? The horns on its head matched those that hung from Efi’s head piece.

Gabriel put together where he knew about Efi. She was some sort of kid genius from Numbani who wanted to stop Akande. He almost laughed. This was the tin can that was keeping Akande back? Pathetic, he’d killed hundreds just like it. Then again, Akande wasn’t as experienced as he wanted everyone to believe.

**”You should be in charge, not him.”** Agreed.

He walked with Amélie over to Olivia, glancing her over subtly, “Why are you here? You’re not training like that,” he said.

Olivia shook her head, but very slowly, “No, Doc wants me to meet everyone and see the area, so I’m just here for a moment, I think.”

Gabriel nodded, sighing. He looked at her hands, noticing the gloves and fiber optic nails she had to allow her to hack were gone. He crossed his arms, leaving Amélie and Olivia to chat about their lunches and how bad they were.

He looked around for Jack, but didn’t see any sign of him. He looked to Amélie, sighing softly.

“Thinks he’s fashionably late?” Olivia joked. Amélie gave the slightest smile, looking over when she heard heavy footsteps. He followed her gaze, and his heart practically lept right out of his chest. There, coming down the small hill to the training grounds, was a huge, rusted Bastion. Gabriel stepped back, a sound coming from his throat that definitely wasn’t human. 

What made him pause, however, was that Jack was calmly walking next to the beast. A bird flew around them, chirping and flapping its yellowish green wings. Rage blossomed in his chest at the domesticity of their walk together down to the group. Jack stopped with the Bastion beside him, its chassis bouncing slightly as it was unable to stand still. He felt the gazes of everyone else on him as he approached Jack, but he didn’t care. He scowled, getting in Jack’s hidden face.

“What the _fuck_ is that?” he asked aggressively. If Jack was intimidated at all, it didn’t show. He merely patted the Bastion on the arm with a leather clad hand,

“This is Bastion. Their software or something messed up. Torbjörn says they’re harmless,” and he shrugged. The bastard had the gall to shrug, like he wasn’t standing next to the same type of machine that had just about torn them apart.

“They? Harmless?” Smoke billowed off Gabriel’s body, and he heard a few footsteps get closer behind him, but Jack held a hand up to the group, “I don’t know what fucking game you think we’re playing here, Morrison, but last I remember you were tearing things like that to pieces.”

The Bastion beside Jack tilted its head, a soft whirr coming from it. Gabriel scowled, “ **Shut it!”** his voice morphed from something closer to his own to one closer to the voice in his head. He whipped back to Jack, waiting for an answer, but Jack was as stoic as ever.

Gabriel felt a hand pull him back, whipping around to see Olivia frowning at him and tugging him between herself and Amélie. He let himself be taken, shooting daggers at Jack and Bastion.

Jack sighed, “This one is defective. Torbjörn took them in, and they haven’t caused any trouble so far. We have a constant watch on them anyways, just like you.” Gabriel wasn’t satisfied, but if he acted on the urge to attack Jack, he was sure the group behind him would tear him to pieces, so he sat with the anger itching under his skin.

Jack stood before them, cracking his knuckles and nodding, “Okay, first, new recruits. Or.. Returning recruit, and two new recruits.”

“Starting from the top of the line, my name is Jack Morrison. I’m in charge of training here,” Jack said, looking to Amélie and Olivia. Despite being close to Overwatch, Amélie hadn’t known much about everyone. Hana clapped overly loudly, giggling as Jack ignored her. 

“Everyone else, introduce yourselves and tell something about yourselves,” Jack said.

Gabriel had the suspicion that Jack was being made to do this whole introduction thing. He would have quipped about it if he weren’t already pissed about Jack casually bringing omnic fighters around. Granted, he probably didn’t have a say, but it was easier to be angry at Jack and let the smoke billow off his body. 

It started with Jesse at the end, and went to Zenyatta, Genji, Mako, Jamison, Hana, Lúcio, Bastion (whose introduction was just a bunch of beeps and chirps and made Gabriel want to leave), the OR-model beside them apparently named Orisa and Angela. The entire time, Olivia was slowly running circles on Gabriel’s arm with her finger, giving him something to think about other than his anger. When it was her turn, she took a step forward, Amélie’s cold hand replacing hers but not moving.

“My name’s Sombra. I’m a hacker, and I have a concussion right now,” Hana ended up laughing at her bluntness.

“Glad you’re okay!” Lúcio said honestly. Olivia gave a mock bow, skipping back into the group and smirking at Gabriel, 

“Your turn, Gabe,” she said, her voice low so only he could hear. He sighed the last of his anger out,

“My name’s Gabriel. I used to be a part of Overwatch.”

Orisa turned to him, her eyes shifting as if she were smiling, “I have heard about you, Gabriel Reyes! I admire your bravery and leadership skills!” Gabriel shrugged off her compliment, but she didn’t seem to mind. Jack nodded to Amélie, signalling her turn.

Amélie stepped forward, unlike Gabriel. She thought, “My name is Amélie LaCroix, and I am a sniper.”

“Oooh! I could never be a sniper,” Jamison laughed, “Too hard to aim!”

Amélie took a step back again, hands clasped daintily. Jack nodded to Angela, who smiled politely at Olivia, 

“Time to go. You should be fine your for next training, though,” she assured. Olivia waved goodbye to them all, then followed Angela away. On her way out, Angela gently touched Jack’s forearm, saying goodbye to him. Gabriel felt his blood simmer, but Jack didn’t seem to respond past a simple goodbye. 

Jack looked at the group, “Okay, we’re talking about omnics today. So, Zenyatta, Orisa, and Bastion come up here.”

**”Is he mocking you?”** Gabriel doubted that was the intention, but it made him wonder.

Zenyatta moved forward gracefully, floating beside Jack. Orisa and Bastion moved forward noisily, standing at his side as well. 

“Should an omnic be attacking you, and you don’t have a weapon, what do you do?”

“Fight ‘em!” Jamison shouted, grinning like he knew he was right. Gabriel almost laughed at him.

Jack shook his head, “Wrong. You have to stun them and run.”

Jamison’s face fell comically, “Aw.. dang,” his shoulders slumped. Lúcio patted his back, laughing.

“In close quarters, stunning an omnic isn’t too hard. You have to find and hit their core processor, there’s always a part that exposes it. On Zenyatta, where do you imagine it is? Genji, you don’t get to answer.”

Genji laughed quietly with Zenyatta, who folded his hands in his lap and waited for an answer. Everyone seemed to study Zenyatta for a while, then Mcree said like it was obvious, which it was, “It’s in his chest!”

Jack nodded, “Zenyatta, where is your core processor?”

Zenyatta placed a hand on the golden diamond plate in his chest, “It is located here.”

“How do you stun them though?” Lúcio asked.

“A simple jab should do. The palm of your hand on it and then push hard. It’ll stop them for long enough for you to run away. But, Zenyatta isn’t made for fighting. That’s why his core processor is so out in the open. Orisa and Bastion are made for fighting, so their processors are harder to access. If you’re in close quarters with models similar to them, you’ll have to be slicker to be able to reach it.”

Orisa’s eyes shifted slightly, and she nodded, “All OR- models have their processors here,” she placed a hand on the golden bar below her chest piece, “It is more armored than Zenyatta’s.”

Bastion chirped and made several more noises, placing their hand on the very small blue slip on their chest. Zenyatta and Orisa nodded, seeming to understand all Bastion said while Gabriel was at a total loss. 

“Why stun them if you can just fight them?” Hana asked, looking at Jack. 

“An omnic is stronger than a human, nine times out of ten. Even if they’re not made for fighting, like Zenyatta, they have hydraulics in their arms and legs. A punch from an omnic is closer to being hit by a car than by a human,” Jack explained.

“Isn’t Bastion the only one? Why do we need to know about theirs?” Lúcio asked.

“There are models similar to bastions that are out there. And, we don’t know for sure that Bastion is the only one. They’re just the only one we’ve found.”

Bastion made a small sound like a question, tilting their head and looking down at Jack. 

Zenyatta gently rubbed Bastion’s arm, “Of course we are looking, my friend.”

Orisa’s eyes turned again, and Gabriel thought about how he’d never seen facial expressions on an omnic before, though there were other ways to express for them. Orisa looked to Jack, 

“Omnics do not want to attack most of the time, though. Do not be afraid!” she said happily to the group. Lúcio grinned, 

“We know, Orisa! We just need to know just in case!”

Orisa’s eyes looked a little sad, and she nodded, “Yes, just in case..”

Jack nodded, “If you have a weapon, and your life is in danger then the only way to make sure an omnic will be down for a long time, if not forever, is to damage their head. Most blows to a fighting model’s body won’t be lethal, but their head is where most of what runs them is.”

“So, like humans?” Hana suggested, “We’ve got organs that if they’re hurt, can end up killing us. Like their core processors. And then if we’re shot in the head, it’s game over?”

Jack nodded, “Basically.”

“Very creative!” Zenyatta praised, his forehead array blinking. Orisa nodded her agreement, her eyes smiling again as she clapped. Bastion chirped happily. Hana blushed under their praise. 

Jack nodded, “Follow me,” he started walking down the ramp towards an area with a dozen training bots lines up against the wall. Jack motioned to them, 

“Everyone get in front of one.”

Gabriel sighed softly, getting before a training bot along with everyone else. Jack crossed his arms, leaning against a pillar where he could observe them all, 

“One by one, locate their core processor and stun them.”

Jesse went first, looking the bot over for a short second before jabbing his hand at the black box below its chest piece. The bot stuttered and shivered for several moments, and Jesse moved back into the line. 

One by one, everyone took a jab at the bots. Jack would give pointers on their forms and suggestions on what to do. Some of them, like Hana and Orisa had to try to stun the bots more than once. Mako just about broke his bot, making everyone but Gabriel, Jack, and Amélie laugh. 

When it came to Gabriel, he got it right away, but he expected to since he’d done it too many times before. Amélie, however, didn’t get the placement right at first. Jack adjusted her elbow and she got it after that, nodding lightly. 

Once they’d all stunned the bots and asked a few questions, Jack told them to go practice aiming or sparring. They were paired up, and Gabriel practiced with Amélie with little chatter between them. After about half an hour, Jack spoke, 

“You’re all free to leave whenever you want to.” His voice was slightly strained, but nobody seemed to notice, or if they did then they didn’t say anything. He walked out of the training area, back to the main buildings. Gabriel could tell something was wrong.

“Short practice today..” Jesse murmured, almost everyone nodding their agreement. 

“He’s probably busy! I heard Winston’s giving him more work again,” Hana said, reloading her pistol. 

“Really? I thought they did not like each other?” Genji asked, turning towards her.

“Lena likes Jack. Winston likes Lena. They have to work together,” Jesse mused, “Ain’t like anyone else workin’ here knows what being a Strike Commander takes.”

“Yeah, but after that argument they had? I dunno..” Lúcio mumbled, lips pursing as he tightened his ponytail, “I just hope we can all work together and get Overwatch working again!” he said cheerfully. Gabriel wanted to be sick from how sweet Lúcio was, it reminded him of the endless optimism of a young Jack. He almost hoped it wouldn’t come around to bite the young man in the ass like it had with his partner. 

That thought made Gabriel turn away as the group talked amongst each other, shooting at the self repairing bots. Some of them were just sitting on the ground, talking. He remembered when that would’ve never flown. Then again, that was when they were facing mass extinction.

He started walking back to the main building, hoping he could manage to get in some more sleep. He was almost at the large doors when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around to meet the metallic, scratched face of Zenyatta. He groaned softly, pulling away as Zenyatta’s forehead array blinked softly, 

“I hate to interrupt, Reaper, but we must meditate after our training session.”

**”Fuck.”**

“Fine. What about Amélie?” he asked, eyes scanning to find the woman just sitting near the group silently. 

“I have excused her and Genji from today’s meditation. I would like to work one on one with you first, if you do not mind too much,” Zenyatta said, his voice almost kind. Gabriel hated it.

“Fine, whatever gets this done faster,” Gabriel murmured, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

“Wonderful!” Zenyatta said, his hands clapping gently, “Right this way!” he floated into the building, leading Gabriel along.

__

Angela counted her supplies carefully. She’d gotten through her catheters, gauze packs, syringes, and the medical tape. She was counting her needles now, eyebrows furrowed. She resided in her office of the infirmary, a medium sized room off the side of where the beds were lined behind drawn curtains. There was a small futon in the room for late nights when she couldn’t find time to go back to her personal quarters.

She had gotten Sombra to rest finally after agreeing to allow her to run around the base, supervised, later. She jotted her numbers down on a paper, hoping she could stretch the medical supplies out over the next few reckless missions. The worst part of Overwatch’s shutdown was their lack of funding.

She worried that she wasn’t going to have what she needed and was going to lose someone. It wouldn’t be the first time. She thought about Jack, then groaned and gave up when she lost count of the needles. Her mind was too occupied now. She leaned back in her chair, thinking about the man and all he’d lost. All she could have prevented him losing. She thought about how she almost lost him.

If she’d had what she needed upon finding him, maybe he’d have never lost his vision. Maybe he’d have never lost his rank. Maybe the world would still love him like he loved the world. Maybe he’d still be alive, and be leading the world into peace, instead of warring with himself. Maybe…

Maybe he would have loved her. 

This world was full of maybes.

It broke her heart to think about the maybes. 

She leaned back in her orthopedic chair, sighing slowly. She closed her eyes, thinking. Gabriel was back. She wanted to help him. She had hope that she could, now that he was here with her. With Talon, she could never try to reverse the damage done to him lest it be found out that he was coming to her for medical treatment. He didn’t trust Moira, not since...

Not since she’d changed him so much. Not since she’d killed him. Angela’s heart ached for Gabriel too, knowing what everything could have been for him. Sure, he had Jack when she wanted him, but she wouldn’t wish what had happened to them upon her worst enemy. Nobody deserved to live in such a way.

She lay there for a while, thinking of everyone she wasn’t fast enough to save. People she knew, people she could have helped if she’d just tried harder. If she was faster or more observant. She saw their broken bodies in her dreams. She woke up in cold sweats to see Torbjörn’s arm and eye, ravaged beyond repair. To see Genji, his body mangled so badly she almost took him for dead. His scream to get her attention haunted her sometimes. What if she had been faster? Could she have saved him from his brother?

What about Ana? If she’d gone on that mission, could she have saved Ana’s eye? Or saved Amélie?

Her thoughts raced, but she was pulled from them by a knock at the door. She opened her eyes gently, the world looking a little blue from the fluorescent lights. She got up and opened the door, putting on her best smile.

There stood Jack, like he’d walked right out of her thoughts. He held onto the door frame, his face obscured by the visor and mask. She stepped to the side, inviting him in without words,

“Hello, Jack.”

“Hi, Angie,” he said, walking into the room and taking a seat on the very edge of her futon. It was folded up to be a couch, for now. She gently closed the door, her heart fluttering at the nickname. 

How childish, she thought, to be happy over a name everyone calls you by.

But with Jack, it was different. His gruff voice made her heart twist every time it said her name.

“What brings you here today?” She asked kindly, seating herself back into her chair and swiveling it closer to him. 

“I just.. I had a really bad headache. You said I should come here when it happens, so..” he shrugged softly, clicking his visor and mask off. He sat it on her desk, then ran his hands over his face gently. 

Angela nodded softly, “Let me examine your eyes, please?” 

Jack nodded, raising his head and opening his eyes for her to see. She moved closer to him, grabbing her pen light and held his chin. She looked into his shaking sky blue eyes, admiring how blue they were just like every time she got the chance to look at them. She scanned for any redness in his eyes, frowning at the very slight bloodshot. She noticed the darkness under his eyes as well, but that was all too normal for him even before his vigilante lifestyle. 

She held up her light, “Tell me what you see,” she said, shining it across each eye individually. She noted that his pupils still constricted in the light. A good sign.

“I can see the light. It’s bright, though, and it’s turning like always” Jack mumbled, shaking his head slightly. She stopped him with her other hand.

“The lights turn because of your nystagmus. Is it blurry?”

“Not really. Just the same as everything else, no worse.”

“Alright. Are there any halos around it? Is it yellow?” 

Jack shook his head gently, and Angela let go of his chin. She set the light down for now, letting him rest. She knew he was sensitive to light when his head hurt, but she had to check nevertheless. She let her hands rest in her lap, watching him cover his eyes again.

“Did you drink, Jack?”

“No,” he said, voice muffled by the hands over his face.

“Are you lying?”

“A little. I didn’t get drunk, so it’s-”

“It’s not fine, Jack,” Angela interrupted, frowning, “You shouldn’t do that. Alcohol and smoking make you more likely to get cataracts. You do both. Granted, you don’t smoke as much, but.. Jack if you get cataracts, you won’t be able to see at all. You’ve got eye injuries which can turn into cataracts at any time. I won’t risk a surgery to remove them either.”

Jack sighed quietly, his hand running up to his silver hair for a moment before both hands dropped to his lap, limp against his knees. His shoulders were slumped, and his head was down.

“Jack, you need to take better care of yourself. Ana and I won’t always be there to patch you up. Some day, the biotic field won’t fix it. Please tell me you’ve been taking the medications I’ve given you. Without them, your body might reject the implants.”

Jack nodded, “I’ve been taking them, Ange.” Angela nodded and touched his shoulder so she wouldn’t startle him, 

“Let me check them, then.”

“Fine,” Jack said, raising his head again so Angela could inspect. She held his slightly stubbly cheek, gently turning his head to see the small implants embedded on each side of his head near his temples. They were small on the surface, black circles with lights that the visor would connect to, keeping the visual feed going directly to Jack’s brain, but under the surface there were large, malleable discs that covered much of the sides of his head. Between the two discs were wires and connections built carefully into his head, going as far as to be attached near his brain-stem to assure a full connection. 

The procedures had been risky. She feared his super soldier immune system would attack the whole system and ruin not only their work but any chance of sight he had. Possibly worse. At first, before they’d found a medicine to keep the machinery working properly, he’d had seizures. The attack on the mechanisms in his head had caused electricity to run free in his head. Every day, sometimes more than once, Angela had seen Jack’s body shake so violently she thought his brain might stop working all together. 

So many sleepless nights hoping to keep Jack alive for just one more day. She could cry thinking about those times. She did, sometimes. 

She ran her fingers around the small nodes in his head, feeling the scar tissue around them. She checked both sides for any sign of infection or deterioration. None, as far as she could see. She ran her fingers through his hair slowly, feeling along the connections under his scalp to make sure everything was connected and straightened out. 

She smiled slightly at the intimacy of it, but tried to keep from thinking that way. Right now, Jack was her patient. She needed to have a clear mind to best take care of him. It didn’t escape her, however, how his shoulders slowly relaxed their constant tightness under her fingers. She ran her fingers through his hair a little longer than what was required, looking at his scarred face. 

She slowly pulled away, “Lets see what shadows you can see, okay?” 

Jack nodded, sighing quietly. He kept his eyes shut for a few moments, then opened them when she held his chin. 

“Keep your head still, alright?” She shone the light a bit farther away from his face and grabbed a pencil, holding it longways to split the beam of light in half, “What does it look like?”

“You’re holding up two lights?” he said, sounding unsure. 

“Right. What about now?” Angela closed her fingers in a circle over the light, making the beam of light smaller.

“It’s getting smaller.”

“Good. How far away is it?” 

Jack frowned, eyebrows furrowing, “Uh.. Close to my face, I think?” he said, his voice getting a little quieter. She knew that depth perception was his biggest problem. He needed to know how far away things were from him especially when fighting. He’d gotten good at guessing, and covering up his trip ups. 

She shut the light off for now, “Not quite. Here,” she tilted his head towards the ceiling. She stood up to block the lights from him, “What do you see?”

“Something’s in front of the lights. It’s you,” he said the second part as an afterthought, as if remembering what it looked like. She nodded, sitting down, 

“Yes, that's right! Alright, put the visor on please?”

Jack did as asked, placing the mask on as well so the visor would be better supported on his face. She watched his shoulders stiffen up again, and she frowned softly, 

“Does it hurt when you put it on?”

“Not bad.”

“Jack, that could be a bad sign. Are you only wearing it for eight hours a day at most? Are you taking long breaks between? And days of rest?” she asked, already knowing that he was wearing it much more than that.

“I do my best,” Jack said, turning his head away from her. 

“Jack,” she started.

“I can’t just go around not seeing anything most of the time! I have to be able to know, Angela!” Jack said, frustration in his voice. She sympathized with him. He always had to be in control. It was what he was used to from his years of being a soldier and Strike Commander. She couldn’t imagine what it was like.

“I know it’s hard, Jack, but if you don’t take breaks the system could overwork itself and you could get hurt. Or worse, your nerves could deteriorate. Please, at least try to take more breaks? If it helps, do it with someone around to watch for you.” She thought for a moment, “You could come here for a break, Jack. You know you’re safe with me, right?”

“I know, Angela. Thank you…” he cracked his knuckles. She smiled lightly, her heart fluttering at his trust, 

“You’re welcome, Jack. Now, tell me how far away things are. Start with the coffee table.”

Jack stared at the room for a while, “The coffee table is close enough to touch with my foot,” he said, pushing his leg out to the side to test his theory. He was right, but it was almost out of reach. 

“You’re right in front of me, I know. Your desk is.. next to you,” he sounded unsure. The desk was behind her actually, but she said nothing. He reached out to try and touch the desk, giving up when his fingers passed her and he didn’t touch it. He looked around some more. 

“The computer is close to the wall. The corkboard is… I can’t tell,” he said truthfully. She let him stand and feel along the wall until his fingers found it, between herself and the computer in the middle of the desk. He sighed softly, sounding frustrated again.

“You’re doing well, Jack. Can you read anything pinned to the corkboard?” Angela said, her voice as soothing as she could manage. He grunted softly, probably trying not to give up. She was proud of him for that. Too many times she’d had to talk him out of giving up when this first started. 

“Uh.. Just the dark text. Everything else is blurry..” he said. She grabbed a notepad off her desk, writing that down.

“You struggle with flat things and small text, still?” she guessed. Jack nodded, 

“It’s like the visor can’t focus on it. It just looks blurry. If it’s big, black text on white then I can see it. But if the paper is colored, or the text is colored or fancy?” he shook his head, sighing. Angela nodded, 

“I’ll talk to Torbjörn and see what we can do about that, okay?” she said. Jack nodded and made his way back to the futon, seating himself. 

“I’m glad you came to me, Jack,” she said softly, reaching out to pat his knee. Jack nodded, 

“I knew you’d yell at me if I didn’t,” he laughed quietly. She chuckled along with him, leaning back in her seat. He unclipped his visor and mask again, moving carefully to set them onto the coffee table instead, eyebrows furrowing as he tried a moment to find it. 

Angela watched him, thinking for a moment, “How is your head?” 

“Better. It’s quiet here and I don’t have to look happy.”

“Jack, you don’t have to fake being happy around the young recruits,” she said, but smiled anyways.

“I don’t fake it, but... They get upset if I don’t talk or smile, even if I am happy. I don’t mind messing with them. I like it, but…” he trailed off, trying to think of the words.

“It gets tiring?” Angela guessed.

“Yeah.”

“I’d imagine so. You haven’t gotten the chance to relax in how long?” Angela teased. 

Jack gave a half smile, twisted by the scar over his lip, “It’s helpful, I think, to have you guys.”

Angela had butterflies in her stomach, and she blushed lightly, “Us? What do you mean?” she asked, laughing to cover her anxiety.

“People I feel comfortable around. You, Ana, Torbjörn, and the kids. I… didn’t realize how important you all were to me until I was alone. Then I came back, and I was so pissed off still. The kids helped that, I think.”

“They see you as a father, Jack. None of them have a good reference for that except you. They love you, you know? We all do…” she said, cupping her hands in her lap. Her face burned at her subtle admission. 

Jack frowned, “I know… It’s hard to accept sometimes. I’ve fucked up so much.”

Angela reached out to rub his arm lightly, “We all have, Jack. We learn and move on. Don’t be so hard on yourself…” she smiled, and laughed softly, “It’s probably part of your headaches, all that stress!” She hoped someday he’d learn he didn’t have to carry the world on his shoulders. It wasn’t his responsibility, and it never was. 

Jack patted her hand gently, laughing, “Probably. You stress out more than I do, covering all our asses.” 

“It’s what I do best, Jack! I couldn’t imagine life any other way,” she said fondly, slowly drawing her hand away.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine having a better doctor. I haven’t had a doctor I could annoy this much,” his lips twisted into a smirk again, a chuckle passing them.

“I couldn’t imagine a more annoying patient, Jack,” Angela teased, laughing happily when his hearty laugh came. 

“Haven’t treated Jamison lately?” he teased.

Angela giggled softly, “I haven’t been around him as long.”

Jack nodded, his smile still slight on his lips, “Good point. Speaking of, I should make sure he hasn’t set everything on fire yet,” he said, hands on his knees to help him stand. Angela smiled and stood with him, 

“Alright, Jack. You need to keep that visor off for a while today. Let me call Ana to help you, okay?”

Jack hesitated, but nodded anyways, “Sure, I wouldn’t mind talking to her.”

Angela grabbed the communicator off of her desk, pressing Ana’s name and then ‘non emergency’ so Ana didn’t rush over thinking something urgent had happened. A green light blinked slowly, letting Angela know that Ana was on her way.

“She’s coming,” she said, watching Jack gather his visor and mask, holding them in one arm. Angela took his other arm, guiding him out of her office and towards the hall. 

“Thank you, Angela,” Jack said, looking towards her but a little over her head. She smiled, 

“Of course, Jack. Don’t be a stranger either, okay?”

“I’ll try my best.”

She opened the door to the hall, leading him outside and standing with him. He turned his head towards Ana’s footsteps before Angela was able to hear them. Ana smiled lightly, 

“I’m here to take him off your hands, Angela.”

“You make her sound like a babysitter,” Jack said, switching his arm out of Angela’s hold and into Ana’s.

“She might as well be, taking care of you little babies when you’re hurt,” Ana teased.

“You take care of us too!” he laughed quietly.

“I speak from experience, then,” she quipped back, both of them smiling. Angela sometimes wondered if they’d met earlier, perhaps the two would have been together. She also guessed that wouldn’t work, considering the stress on both of their shoulders during their days in Overwatch. Angela smiled fondly anyways, remembering Jack in those days. 

“So polite, Angela, just smiling while I make fun of the blind man,” Ana said, laughing, “Or are you trying to agree?”

“A little of both,” Angela teased. Jack scoffed softly, chuckling afterwards.

Angela patted them both on the arm, “You two should go. I need to get back to counting our supplies so I can let Winston know what we’ll need the soonest.”

Jack nodded, “Bye, Angie.”

“Goodbye, Angela.” Ana said, turning to lead Jack away.

“Goodbye, you two!” Angela said, smiling and drifting back into the infirmary. She went to check on Sombra, stepping into her curtained area.

Sombra looked up from the tablet Angela had let her use to help stem boredom. There wasn’t much to do on it except for watch videos and television shows, but the other woman had just seemed happy to have a piece of technology in her hands. 

“You look happy,” Sombra pointed out, smiling lightly. 

Angela nodded, “It’s always good to see friends,” she said, pulling the wrappings off Sombra’s head slowly to clean and change them. 

“You and Jack are friends?” 

“I’ve known him for a very long time,” Angela nodded, “Hard not to be friends after that long. We all go far back,” she said kindly.

Sombra nodded, “A lot of people seem to like Jack… Why do you?” she closed her eyes as Angela began cleaning her wound. She’d put in stitches for the small, deeper parts of the injury, but most of it just needed butterfly stitches and a protective cover. Head cuts almost always looked worse than they were because of how much they’d bleed. 

“He was our Strike Commander for a very long time. He cared about us and protected us whenever possible,” Angela said fondly, dabbing Sombra’s head delicately, “He was always so optimistic and brave. He ran out to a group of bastions to save us, once. He dedicated his life to Overwatch and its cause. He’d do anything and trust anyone if it was the right thing in his eyes, though..” she paused, “that’s not always safe for him.”

Thoughts of the injuries Jack had gotten over the years from his impulsive bravery flashed in her mind. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, continuing, 

“We’ve all had our disagreements amongst ourselves. It’s to be expected, spending so much time around each other. Jack always did his best to keep us happy. Lately, he.. He’s still in there. He’s just more closed off, I think distrustful. I would be too, if I’d seen what he has.”

Angela blushed, laughing softly, “I’m sorry, I got carried away. There’s just a lot I’ve always admired about him,” she said truthfully. She remembered being a starstruck seventeen year old meeting Jack Morrison for the first time. Shaking his hand, and his smile being just as captivating as she’d heard on the news. She’d had it bad for a long time, hadn’t she?

Sombra just laughed, “Gabe talked about him that way before too. Said he was the man he used to trust the most. They were partners, through thick and thin, I hear.. I sounds like you guys love him, huh?”

“I do,” Angela said, not understanding Sombra’s implication until a moment too late. The other woman started laughing, 

“I knew it! You have that dumb look on your face people get when they love someone!” she boasted.

Angela’s face burned hot, “No! Not like that, Sombra. I love him as my commander and friend of so many years!”

“Right, Doc, and I’m the king of Peru. I see right through you, you know? You might be a worse liar than Gabe is,” Sombra teased, smirking at her. 

Angela frowned, her face still heated, “Sombra, I really hope you won’t mention this to anyone. This could put a lot of things at risk. Please?” her eyes searched Sombra’s, and she saw only honesty and amusement.

“Your secret’s safe with me, Doc. I don’t get anything from gossiping about the first competent doctor I’ve seen in years.”

“So, you think I’m competent?” Angela laughed softly, trying to shake the nervousness from her body. 

Sombra chuckled, leaning her head to the side to allow Angela to continue working on her head. Angela gently bandaged it, lighter now that she was sure the bleeding was done. 

“Better than the doctor I was seeing before,” Sombra said.

“O’Deorain?”

“You know her?” Sombra asked, turning once Angela was done.

“We used to work together, before everything happened. She’s less of a doctor than a scientist with medical experience.”

“Well, you’re definitely nicer,” Sombra laughed, relaxing in her bed and shutting her eyes, “I’m gonna take a nap, and then I’ll go explore the area.”

“Alright, Sombra. Sleep well,” Angela said, smiling and throwing away the cleaning pads. She left the cubicle, heading towards her office quietly.

Was it so obvious that she liked Jack? Could everyone see it? If so, did Jack know?

How embarrassing, if he did. If he did, though, it didn’t stop him from coming to spend time with her. Did that mean he could share those same feelings?

Angela’s cheeks got a little hot as she sat at her desk, thinking. What if Jack did like her?

Even worse, though, what if Jack didn’t like her and he just pitied her? The relationship he had with Gabriel so long ago was no secret, made public as part of the slander against Overwatch. She remembered his heartbreak at their relationship being outed and used to make him seem incompetent by the people with more closed minds. She’d never had the chance to say anything about it to him before, but she could see it in his eyes when people screamed slurs at him in his public appearances. 

She could see the tenseness in his smile when people showed their support for his sexuality, as if he was always waiting for someone to say something worse to him. It saddened her to realize that was when he began to stop trusting the world. She remembered having to convince him she was on his side. 

She sighed slowly, eyes closing. She had much to think about. She had to get Jack’s visor adjusted, had to assure Sombra was healthy, assure her secret was kept safe, get Amélie open to medical treatment, and get Gabriel under her treatments. She also had to fine tune exactly what she wanted to treat him with, or what she wanted to focus on first.

Right now, though, she had inventory to take. She took her notepad up and began counting the needle packs spread out over her desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate all feedback! If there's anything I get wrong timeline wise, character wise, or medically then feel free to let me know!
> 
> -Want to chat about anything in the world? Have questions? Find me on:  
> \- [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chubbyghost)  
> \- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ChubbyGhost3)  
> \- [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/chubbyghost)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel meditates with Zenyatta, finding he is friendlier than expected. Jack is stuck in the past, unable to move on. Maybe a bit of tea will help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter feels a little short compared to my other ones but I hope it's still good! Thank you all so much for reading <3

Zenyatta led Gabriel down several halls and into a warm room lit mostly by salt lamps, candles, and a large open window showcasing the rocky ocean and setting sun. The room was not cold at all, despite the slow breeze from the window, and it all smelled of incense, and Gabriel spent a moment trying to identify it but he honestly had no clue. He recognized the smell from Ana’s old office, anyways.

**”Ana’s empty office. Remember the stale incense and papers Jack had to do? Remember the funeral?”**

Zenyatta moved into the room, allowing Gabriel room to look around and occupy his mind. The door closed behind them and Gabriel stood in the middle of the room, seeing the very few decorations around the room. A small, modest bed and some rugs and other fabrics with patterns from cultures all around the world. Gabriel looked at Zenyatta as he went towards the window, settling onto a woven pillow on the floor. There was one right next to him, which Zenyatta gently patted, friendliness in his demeanor.

Gabriel frowned, looking down at the omnic and hesitantly making his way over. He sat on the pillow, legs folded towards his chest. He didn’t want to admit how comfortable the pillow was as it cushioned his aching body. Zenyatta looked over to Gabriel, his forehead array blinking in a weirdly happy way. 

“Try to copy my position, if you can,” his low voice spoke, hands relaxed in his lap. Gabriel crossed his legs like Zenyatta did, grunting softly when his prosthetic leg didn’t want to settle right. He shifted around on the pillow until he was comfortable, then slouched his shoulders a bit and looked at the omnic again. He frowned at the faceplate looking back at him, 

“Why are you staring?”

**”It plans to hurt you”** No he doesn’t. I could kill him if he does.

“If you are not comfortable, I could perhaps get a different pillow or a mat for you?” Zenyatta offered.

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re sure,” Zenyatta said, still sounding a little concerned but not pushing it, “Okay. Place your hands in your lap like so.”

Gabriel lay his hands on his knees like Zenyatta showed, middle fingers and thumbs pressed together. He didn’t see the point in this positioning.

“Excellent! Sitting like this allows us to have the most contact with our own bodies while remaining open to the outside world. Meditation requires us to focus on ourselves and what we experience. Too much outer influence, and we may lack focus. Too little and we may be unable to ground ourselves.”

Gabriel had the sudden, irrational fear that Zenyatta could somehow read his mind. He thought a moment and decided that was unlikely, though the voice in his head seemed to enjoy bringing it up again anyways.

“Now, relax your gaze to the sky. Look at nothing directly, just take notice of what it looks like. Think of the color and take in a deep breath. Focus on the feeling in your lungs as you hold it and release it. Do you breathe with your chest, or your stomach?”

Gabriel breathed in deeply, eyes on the sky, until he felt the tightness in his diaphragm, eyebrows knitting as he tried to think about it. As he breathed out, a plume of black mist seeped from his mouth, “I breathe with my chest,” he said.

He heard a soft giggle from the omnic and he frowned, looking over. Zenyatta’s forehead array twinkled, “You do not have to speak, but you can if it is helpful to your focus.”

**”Idiot”**

Gabriel felt a little embarrassed, but followed as Zenyatta guided his breath again, “With this next exhale, allow your eyes to gently close. Keep focusing on your breathing and what it feels like.”

He closed his eyes, though he felt a little on edge not being able to see the omnic next to him. He peeked through half lidded eyes every so often as Zenyatta silenced. He continued to breathe deeply, the tension in his shoulders subconsciously bleeding away. It was a while of him just thinking about his breathing, but his thoughts kept travelling. How was Olivia doing? What was Amélie doing? Why did his leg keep hurting, he wasn’t doing anything. Why did Zenyatta want him to breathe? Omnics couldn’t breathe anyways.

“Are you having trouble focusing?”

“How’d you know?” Gabriel asked suspiciously, looking over at the omnic. His head was lowered as he spoke.

“You’ve been shaking your leg,” he sounded amused. Gabriel stopped his leg’s movement, frustrated at Zenyatta pointing it out. 

“It’s okay to have thoughts. You will learn to control it, in time. For now, allow these thoughts to come, but do not focus on them. Let them pass by, and bring your focus back to your breathing.”

“What do you know about breathing anyways, omnic?”

“I have worked with many humans over the years, and I have adapted my teachings to accomodate what best fits their learning style. I could teach you like an omnic, if you prefer?” 

Was that sarcasm?

“No, thanks.”

“Allow your eyes to close, then, and bring your focus back into your breathing whenever your mind strays.”

Gabriel tried to do that, but found it hard to multitask focusing on his breathing and trying to dispel his thoughts. He sat in near silence for a few moments before he could hear the soft chiming of bells. He straightened and looked around, seeing Zenyatta’s mala slowly spinning around his body. Every once in a while, one would rise and fall to release a small ringing sound. It seemed to seep into his brain, relaxing his body without him being aware of it.

Silence filled his head for the first time in a while.

“Now we will bring our focus away from our breathing and guide it through our bodies. Beginning at the top of your head, identify everything you feel. Release any tension you find, and ignore any pain you feel. Such physical senses matter not to your spirit and mind.”

Gabriel did as told, to the best of his ability. He felt the eerie feeling of movement like smoke trapped in a sealed building under his skin that he would never fully get used to, and the feeling of his body wanting to dissolve into nothingness. He’d gotten better at keeping his body together, after he’d gotten over the fear and pain of it all. He remembered first seeing his hand fade into smoke. He remembered the anger. Not just anger, but spite and rage.

**”Make Jack cry,”** his brain had told him, **”He deserves it. He did this to you.”**

He never wanted to, but he couldn’t control it. He told her, and Moira had just…

Focus, Reyes! Meditation. He drew in a deep breath and let it go, the past flooding away again.

He kept going through his body, doing better than most people probably would at ignoring his pain. He focused on the feeling of the pillow below him, the leather over his body, and the heaviness in his body from the EMP’s that he was slowly adjusting to. His boot was pinching his ankle too, which was just weirdly annoying, but he didn’t want to get called out again for moving so he just sat with it. 

He listened to the chiming of Zenyatta’s mala, and tried to focus on his breathing but also his body. He felt his mind struggling to wander but he tried to reel it in. It felt like he was trying to herd cats. He kept his eyes closed, huffing softly as his mind became harder and harder to control. This is why he didn’t think too much, his mind was wandering to… everything, really. The look of Olivia in the hospital bed sparked anger in him at Reinhardt. Couldn’t that crusader ever mind his strength? He remembered when Reinhardt had almost broken Gabriel’s ribs in a sparring match, and it was an honest accident.

**”Was it an accident? He always had it out for you and you know it.”** He doubted that was true, but how could he ever truly know? That wouldn’t be the first betrayal he’d experienced. 

He thought about Angela’s hands touching Jack’s, and his chest, and his shoulder. Why did she touch him so much? He knew why, but he didn’t want to admit that he knew why. Anger blossomed further in his chest anyways. 

**”She’s always liked him from the moment they met. You can’t keep her off forever, can you?”** He could damn well try.

**”What if he likes her now? It’s not your place to keep them apart anymore.”**

He remembered casting death glares at the doctor when she stepped a little too close to Jack, or laughed too long at one of his jokes, or got a little touchy when showing reports at his side. Angela kept a respectful distance, usually, but it was hard even for him not to touch Jack sometimes. The larger than life Strike Commander Morrison just begged people's’ affections.

And now here he was, to top it off, having to play rookie like he didn’t help found this entire fucking group. Like he didn’t recruit some of them, and save their lives more times than he could count. Typical of him to be cast out.

**”They never appreciated you.”** Like that was new.

He only hoped he had made the right call. Joining Overwatch sounded like the perfect doorway to get Amélie help. She needed it; she was just a shell of her former self. He couldn’t stand another minute of watching from the sidelines as she fought a war with herself.

He jumped at a cold hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t cold, actually, but… strange feeling. He looked over to see Zenyatta looking back at him, the lights on his forehead sparkling for a moment. He hadn’t realized the chiming had stopped, and he wondered how long he’d been in his own thoughts. 

“I sense much anger within you, my friend.”

“Oh do you now?” Gabriel said sarcastically, crossing his arms.

“I do. You have a lot of anger in you, I can see. That is understandable-”

“Thanks, but I don’t need your whole pity spiel. I don’t need you of all _things_ to feel bad for me-”

His interruption was interrupted, and he was caught off guard because nobody ever interrupted him. Was this omnic even intimidated by him?

“You did not allow me to finish, Gabriel. It is understandable that you have this anger within you, but it is no excuse to take it out upon other people or yourself. Many of us have felt this anger, and you are not alone. You, however, have an opportunity that many do not have access to. You have the chance to learn to control your anger.”

A sarcastic comment was on the edge of his lips, but Zenyatta held up a silencing hand, 

“I will not lie and say that it will be easy, but it is possible. Even the most hurt, scared, and angered person can learn to find peace eventually.”

“What do you know about anger? You talk a lot about shit you don’t seem to really know about.”

“I have had many angered and upset people come to me for teachings. Genji was one of these people. I like to believe I had a part in changing him from the person he was to the man he is today.”

“So you only know anger because other people are angry?” Gabriel scoffed, almost laughing at him, “Right.”

“I was not always the omnic that sits before you. I have been angry in my life many times. I was exceptionally angry after the death of my brother Mondatta. I learned to cope with all that upset me, and that lead to me being better than who I was.”

Right. His brother. Mondatta. The one Amélie had assassinated. He’d ignored the public outcry of the Shambali leader’s death, too busy with everything Talon asked him to do. He had never thought about Mondatta’s personal relationships. He often forgot that the dead had lives, even himself.

“I do not know what has happened to make you this way, and I will not ask you to tell me but know that I am here to help you. If you need a quiet moment or someone to talk to, I am here. I find a confidant is most helpful in recovery. Perhaps more important than anything else.”

Gabriel looked away, feeling touched but not wanting to show it.

“If you do not mind, I wish to give you something I believe may help for today.”

Gabriel looked over to Zenyatta, seeing the omnic rise and tilt his head just slightly. Gabriel stood as well, 

“What’s that?”

“I would like to make you a cup of tea.”

“Tea?”

“Yes, just a bit of tea. I feel it is good for many to have after meditation.”

“We’re done? I barely did anything you said,” Gabriel crossed his arms. He felt unaccomplished. He’d been expecting this to be a life changing experience but he honestly felt the exact same as he did before entering the room.

“This was your first time, my friend. With time and practice, you will be able to hold your meditation longer and firmer.” The monk moved to a desk near the wall, opening a drawer and pulling out a kettle, cup, and a hot plate with only one burner. Setting them all down, Zenyatta then handed the cup to Gabriel.

“What sort of tea do you like? I have green tea, oolong, and white tea. I need to purchase more teas soon.”

“Uh… Green tea is fine,” Gabriel said, feeling awkward holding the cup as Zenyatta poured a bottle of water into the kettle and plugged in the hot plate to boil the water. He looked down at the cup, a memory coming in of Genji making green tea for the team and pouring it into cups that looked like these. Plain and almost like small bowls. 

He grimaced under his mask at the memory of Jesse laughing and spilling his tea in his lap. He could practically hear Genji calling him a fool and uncultured as the cowboy hopped around from the burning liquid 

**”You left them behind when they needed you.”**

“Why are you doing this?” Gabriel found himself asking before he could stop himself.

“What do you mean?”

“All of you! You’re being so… nice? I’m a terrorist, Zenyatta. I’ve killed Overwatch agents, but all anyone’s done is try to be nice to me. Why? It’s fucking… annoying,” he said, waving his hand vaguely and scowling. It wasn’t annoying, actually. What was annoying was his inability to accept the kindness Zenyatta was giving him.

“We gain nothing from being cruel to each other. We all had a meeting before you and your friends awoke, and we decided that our best approach was to treat you all as if you were new so you may all have a new beginning. Ana and Jack seemed not to be afraid of you, so I do not think I or anyone else have much to fear. I do not believe if I were to act afraid of you, I would not stand much of a chance to be friends.”

“Why do you want to be my friend?” Gabriel asked incredulously, “I’ve killed more of your kind than I could fucking count! I shot you and Genji, for Christ’s sakes!”

“I have lived a life surrounded by hatred, Gabriel. To spread it further would do more harm than good.”

The omnic unnerved him with his wisdom, and he wondered for a moment what he’d been through to become so wise. Ideas like his were rarely taught over being learned the hard way. He struggled to find any response to that statement.

“Do you have any sugar?” he asked instead. 

“Yes, I should have some in here,” Zenyatta opened a drawer and searched for a bit. He pulled out a small jar just as the kettle whistled. He took it off the heat and set a small infuser into Gabriel’s cup. Hot water poured over it, turning a deep yellowish green color. Gabriel’s hands warmed through his gloves at the hot tea, and he could smell the aroma through his mask and the incense. Zenyatta set the kettle down and took the jar he’d pulled out, 

“How many sugar cubes?” 

“Two.” He expected a comment on the amount of sugar, but got none. Zenyatta nodded and took the sugar cubes from the jar to the cup. Gabriel watched them dissolve into nothingness, swishing the tea a bit to mix it. 

“You can take the tea to your room, if you wish.”

“Why let me take your cup?”

“So I know you’ll return,” Zenyatta said, a happy laugh mixing with his voice. The words were teasing, but lacked any venom. Gabriel found it amusing, but only nodded. He held the cup in his hands, enjoying the slowly dying warmth. 

“I’ll bring it back later. Thanks…”

“Of course. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning. Come to this room whenever you wake up, please.”

“Alright.” Gabriel left with the tea in hand. He couldn’t take his eyes off of it. He felt something weird swell in his chest as he looked at the cup. Zenyatta trusted him to bring it back unbroken. He wanted Gabriel to enjoy the tea, and didn’t even expect him to take off his mask. It didn’t mean anything, probably, but it made him feel something nonetheless.

__

Ana led Jack down the hall at her own pace. Both of them tended to be leisurely walkers when they had nowhere to rush to. She had a hand on his bicep and the other arm hooked in his own. Her touch was comforting to him, and she always smelled of spices and an undertone of something earthy. Jack thought of so many nights in the desert with nothing but her and the moon as company, his head in her lap as they talked sleepless nights away.

Jack watched her blurry shapes move as she walked, waving to people as they passed. Part of him hated knowing that people could see his face, but he could think of no one he’d be more comfortable being so vulnerable around. Ana pulled him along wordlessly as he thought of their times together. His second in command, Ana was always his closest friend other than Gabriel. She knew parts of him he’d tried to hide away for years, parts he never acknowledged, and parts he had never even told her but she just knew anyways. 

He wished she’d had it better. He thought of their mission when they’d lost her. He could remember the block of ice slide into his stomach as he realised she was gone. He remembered the feeling of Gabriel holding him back, kicking and screaming, telling him that if he went after her he would die. He wished he’d gone after her, even if he would have died. Maybe then there wouldn’t be a rift between her and her daughter, or her and her friends, or her and her ex husband. He knew Ana would have gone running in to save him. She had, many times. 

He could remember her funeral, and her office he couldn’t make himself walk into alone. He remembered panic attacks before meetings because he couldn’t bear to look at her empty seat beside his. He remembered feeling so alone with a husband who couldn’t make up his mind about whether he loved him or not, and a dead best friend he couldn’t go to for advice anymore. 

He felt the ice in his core as he wondered if Reinhardt and Torbjörn felt the same way he had when they’d thought Jack and Gabriel had died. His mind wandered to hearing his own funeral on every holovid station Angela would scroll through, months and years after his death. Only ever hearing, but unable to see a foot in front of him. He remembered the feeling of static in his soul when Gabriel was talked about. He had lost everything he ever loved. He couldn’t go back and greet another empty chair.

Talking to his old friends was a near impossible task even now. Shame crept into his throat every time, smothering any attempt at an explanation. Ana had beaten on his chest and cried upon finding him injured but alive in the desert. Word of his death had spread around the world. Everyone remembered what he did for them only after he’d died. Of course, they missed him now, but the man they missed was not the one who walked today. If the people ever knew what he’d become, they’d lose their image of hope. The golden Strike Commander had to stay dead, good and buried, for the people to believe they had a chance.

His chest felt tight for a moment as memories washed over him, suffocating him.

“...seems quite interesting, but we’ll need to learn more. Jack? Jack, are you even listening to a word I’m saying?” Ana asked.

He was sitting on her bed. He could tell from the rough, wool fiber comforter thrown over it. He could smell tea brewing, and the only sound was Ana’s chair squeaking slightly as she moved closer.

“Jack, are you with me?”

He ran a hand through his white hair, “Yeah... Sorry, I got a little distracted thinking about what you were saying.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Jack. Where were you?” Ana placed a tentative hand onto his knee, and he shut his eyes at the touch, anchoring himself to the room and her company.

“Nowhere specific. A lot of places.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not… really, no.”

“Alright. Have you been sleeping?”

“About as much as usual,” he opened his eyes again and looked towards her. She was in front of him. She slowly drew her hand away, her chair squeaking again as she spun towards her desk. 

“You need to sleep more than that, Jack. Talk to Angela about some medicine if you can, okay?”

“Alright.”

“I’m being serious. Drinking until you pass out isn't healthy, and it’s going to make you sick,” Ana said, her voice firm. She was the only person who had no qualms about chiding him like a child in any setting, even when he was Strike Commander. He couldn’t think of a single person who hadn’t gotten dragged by the ear into behaving by her at least once. 

“I’m a super soldier, Ana. I can take a little alcohol,” he reminded her.

Ana just scoffed at him, “Jack. Being a super soldier doesn’t mean you’re invincible. Everyone dies. Don’t make yourself die before you need to just because you’re hurting. A lot of people care about you. Think of those young recruits you spend so much time with. What would they think of their father figure getting shitfaced just so he can sleep?”

“We’re all adults with our own coping mechanisms. Besides, nothing else helps anyways.”

“I find a bit of company helps me fall asleep, Jack. Maybe you should find yourself someone to spend the nights with,” Ana said smugly, a smile on her lips that he could hear in her voice. She was teasing him, she knew, but there was seriousness behind it. 

“Unless you feel like sharing Reinhardt, I don’t have many age appropriate options,” Jack laughed back to her, trying to dodge the subject. Ana let out a laugh that was somewhere between giggling and snorting, and Jack’s spirits rose at the sound.

“Back off, old man. We both know you’re no competition.”

“Hm, some would take that as a challenge, Amari,” Jack joked, falling back onto Ana’s bed and laughing softly. Ana slapped his thigh, 

“Don’t make me embarrass you, Jack. You know what I mean. Maybe try at least spending some time out in the city for things other than a mission. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone.”

“I… don’t know. I haven’t gone on any serious dates in,” he rolled his eyes and waved his hand vaguely, “forever.”

“I know, Jack, and that might be the reason you’re so tightly wound. Companionship goes a lot deeper than the flesh. Your soul needs to be touched too, sometimes. Maybe go out drinking with a few friends, and it’ll relax you. That can be a start.”

“Fine, I’ll think about it…”

Jack relaxed himself on the bed as much as he could, sighing as he listened to the clinking of Ana’s spoon against her cup. The thought of spending time out in the city didn’t make him too uncomfortable, as long as he wouldn’t be alone just wandering like a freak. The idea of meeting someone and connecting romantically was another story entirely. 

He hadn’t connected romantically with anyone since Gabriel. He had lived the better part of almost forty years dead set on Gabriel being at his side until the end of time. Then Gabriel had died, or so he’d thought, and he’d sought comfort between the drunken thighs of strangers. People who reminded him of the man he’d lost. A man with a gravelly voice and deep laugh. Another man who moved so fluidly across the dance floor Jack couldn’t ever imagine keeping up. He never tried to connect with these people, just offering a drink since he’d had too many and a few laughs until they ended up on the floor, couch, or counter top of a seedy motel room, far too busy to get to the bed. 

The idea of learning someone else inside out, and allowing himself to be read like an open book again, was terrifying to say the least. At least with a one night stand, who you were didn’t matter. Nobody he slept with cared to know he was Jack Morrison, Strike Commander of Overwatch and partially responsible for saving the world. To them, Jack was just another prayer to forget after it left your lips. There was no expectations. He didn’t have to care about them after their highs came down. They didn’t want him to. 

A partner, however, would expect to know his life and where he’d been and where he thought he might go in the future. Frankly, he didn’t care to know someone so closely again. A new person didn’t interest him. A chain in the back of his heart kept pulling him to Reaper. Gabriel. 

A man he loved in the past, he always would love. Would they stand a chance now? Would their love stand the test of time? Of course it wouldn’t. It barely survived until the explosion. He couldn’t imagine admitting to the people he’d slept with, seeking Gabriel’s touch for a moment, when he thought he was gone. Did it count as cheating? The thought of it made him sick, and he forced Gabriel from his mind. Angela said he was ill. He needed to let Gabriel adjust to the new life of being an Overwatch agent and get into better health before he could even imagine anything between them again.

“You get so caught up in your head, Jack. I wonder what it’s like in there,” Ana said, pulling his arm until he was sitting up and pushing a mug of hot tea into his hand. The warmth seeped through his gloves, making him focus on that instead of the turmoil in his head.

“It’s hell, sometimes. Other times it’s the only thing keeping me alive,” Jack admitted.

“Escaping to your head? Do you do it on purpose?”

“No, you know I don’t.”

“I know, Jack, but sometimes it's so convenient I have to wonder. You disappear in front of us, sometimes. I worry one day you’re not going to come out of there.”

“I try to keep focus,” he took a slow drink from the cup, enjoying the taste of honey spread over his tongue. Ana made him tea often, different types for different needs. She always had something, and it was always flavored with real honey. It was good to have a constant in his life.

“At least consider what I’ve told you, okay? I know things must be stressful right now with Gabriel and everything else going on, but please put yourself first once in a while. You can’t keep running on empty, Jack. It’s dangerous. I can’t always be there to pick you up when you break.”

“Okay, Ana. I’ll try,” he said to pacify her. He could try, but he could never promise, and it wouldn’t be at the top of his concerns. Putting himself first was never his nature. He had responsibilities, Strike Commander or not, and he would make sure everything he had to do would get done. 

He and Ana sat in relative silence as they drank their tea, Ana’s knee brushing against his own when she would move in her seat. His usually frazzled nerves felt calmer as he let himself be enveloped by the feeling of Ana's company and warmth. It was hard to be afraid when everything was so perfect here, his best friend before him and a cup of tea in his hands. The outside world faded away in these moments. 

Jack felt around for her desk a while after he had finished his serving, enjoying the moment a bit before finally setting the mug down and thanking her quietly.

“You’re welcome, Jack. Take care of yourself, okay? Do you need me to take you to your room?”

“No, my room isn’t far from here. I know my way.”

“Okay, Jack. Remember to take it easy on the visor today. Angela said. Be careful,” she said. ‘Be careful.’ That was their way of telling each other they loved each other.

“You too,” he said softly, standing and patting her shoulder. He made his way to the door, waiting for the hiss of hydraulics pushing the door closed behind him to clip the visor and mask over his face. He winced at the sudden burst of color and vision, walking down the hall towards his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to keep in contact? Come talk to me at:
> 
> \- [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chubbyghost)  
> \- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ChubbyGhost3)  
> \- [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/chubbyghost)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angela builds up the courage to ask Jack out, and it's a good day. The nights, however, are not always so sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Classes just started and I have a new job. I'll keep updating, but it may be a bit slow <3 love you guys!
> 
> p.s. yay for Gay Dad! This story will be continuing as planned, but the love triangle will have a different ending. Fear not everyone, no character here will have a bad/lonely ending. Angela will have love too <3

Angela rung her hands nervously, chewing on her lip as she listened to Sombra talk to her.

“I think you should tell him. Worst that can happen is he says no to a date,” the woman gave a shrug, “or you could just hang out with him like friends and see where it goes?”

Angela dug her nails into her palms at the idea, “Maybe…” he said softly, “Why do you care about this?”

Sombra gave her a sharp smile, and it reminded Angela of a cat far too much, “Because I’ve never liked inaction. Sitting there and doing nothing won’t help anyone, Doc. You’ve got to stand up and get what you want, even if it’s hard or scary. You’ve been sitting by for years, and it’s gotten you nowhere closer to Jack! Time to stand up and do something!” She punched the palm of her hand passionately, then relaxed back in the chair of the recreation room with her legs crossed and arms back behind her head, “Or, live the rest of your life knowing what could’ve been. Up to you.”

Angela felt trapped in a corner. In the past few days, she’d talked to Sombra about her feelings for Jack and how it had been stagnant over the years. Genuinely, she and Sombra had become something like friends, talking to each other about certain things. She’d learned that Sombra was a really good hacker, and learned about her augmentations. They were quite interesting, actually. 

“So whatcha gonna do, Ange?”

“I’ll… I’ll take him out to spend some time in the city, and see where that takes us,” Angela decided, committing to the idea despite the butterflies in her stomach already. 

“Sounds good! Go tell him then,” Sombra said, reaching across the table and grabbing a piece of candy someone had left scattered about. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth as if her words didn’t cause a spike of anxiety to rise in Angela. 

“Right now?” she asked, knowing her face told every emotion she was feeling.

“Yeah. If you tell him now, you don’t have to worry about chickening out later, right?”

She had a point, but the last thing she wanted to do during their lunch break was pull Jack away and ask him on a date. She couldn’t imagine it would go well or be as low profile as she’d prefer. 

“No… I’ll ask him later tonight, after training is done. You’re supposed to go today,” Angela said, pulling nervously at the bangs falling out of her ponytail. 

“If you don’t, I’m making a big deal and making everyone go out for a night,” Sombra warned, smirking at Angela, her cheek protruding with the candy tucked inside it. 

“Maybe it would be better to bring some friends?” Angela worried, “If we go alone I think he might feel more awkward… I can ask him,” she decided, shaking her head and waving her hands, “I’m going to lose my mind, why is this so hard?”

Sombra thought visibly, eyes rolling to the ceiling, “Because you’re never honest about your feelings, Doc. Anyways, it’s close to training time, so you’d better get ready,” she stood and stretched, her back crackling in a way that made Angela wince. She thought about how Jack popped his knuckles almost compulsively, and her cheeks flushed as she thought more about him. She covered her mouth at the knowing look Sombra gave her before leaving the room just as Athena’s voice rang out to let everyone know that lunch was over. 

__

Angela spent the entirety of the training session pacing around in the hangar where the trainees couldn’t see. She leaned against the wall, listening to the sounds of Jack telling someone the proper form for some exercise she didn’t catch the name of. She listened to gunshots firing off as they practiced aim, and people’s voices mingling as they talked and the pounding of feet on the ground. 

They trainees began leaving in groups, chatting with each other indistinctly. Angela would probably be able to conversate if she didn’t feel like she was about to throw up. She waited, pretending to be looking at something on her phone. As she passed by to leave with Gabriel, Amélie, and Zenyatta, Sombra reached out and nudged her arm with a wide smirk. 

Jack passed by and she reached out to gently grab his elbow. The red glass of the visor turned to face her, and his demeanor softened slightly. It didn’t pass her how Sombra and her group had stopped at the hangar door, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose at Gabriel’s eyes on her behind that bone white mask. 

She smiled sheepishly at Jack, ignoring the feeling of being watched to try and talk to him without running away to her office.

“Hi, Jack! How was training today?” she asked, managing a smile.

“It was fine… Nothing different from all the other days,” Jack said, crossing his arms. The smell of leather reached her from where she stood, along with whatever soap he used, and it was quite distracting. 

“That’s good!” Angela said, “Better than something going wrong,” she broke off with a nervous laugh. Jack just nodded his agreement. He wasn’t much for laughing when he had several people around him.

“What’s going on?” Jack asked her seriously, the slight crease in his brow above his mask telling his concern.

“Nothing bad! I…” Angela twiddled her fingers awkwardly, feeling her face heat up. Thankfully, everything he saw was red anyways, so she didn’t have to worry about him knowing how badly she was blushing, “I wanted to invite you out to the city with me! To maybe catch a few drinks and spend some time together?” she propositioned.

Jack was quiet for a long while, making Angela’s pulse pound harder with every passing moment. Finally, as if resigning himself, he let out a sigh and nodded “Yeah, sure. Whenever you like, if we’re both free.”

Angela could have died right then and there, her whole body freezing for a moment, “Really?” she asked, her face even hotter than it was before. She brushed her bangs from her face just for them to fall right back. Jack nodded, then shrugged, 

“Let me know when you want to. I’m free this week, unless Winston says something,” he walked away then, leaving Angela feeling so giddy she could have screamed or sang. Both, actually. Instead, biting her lip tightly, she ran over to Sombra and captured her in a tight hug at the door, squeaking softly.

Sombra laughed, patting her back as Angela looked at her excitedly, hoping her gaze explained everything before she ran off to find Winston and find a day they’d both be freed for the night. She could hear Zenyatta’s low voice saying something, but it was a thousand miles away from her. 

__

Angela was so excited she could barely focus on curling her eyelashes, huffing softly when she had to stop and stretch her arms so her hands would stop shaking so incessantly. Fareeha sat on the bed, watching Angela in the bathroom getting ready. Angela leaned against the counter, her tongue between her pink painted lips as she applied mascara.

Fareeha crossed her legs and leaned back, her baggy shirt covering her knees, “He’s probably going to wear the same thing he does every day, Ange. Don’t get too fancy,” she chided.

Angela looked over to her, blinking her tears away. Damn her sensitive eyes, it made mascara so hard, “I want to look pretty! I finally might have a shot at this. I can’t… I can’t believe it took this long to do this,” she said softly.

“Does he even know it’s a date?” Fareeha asked, smirking a bit.

“Well, not quite! But, he should know by the end! Besides, even if it weren’t a date, I can still dress up to go out!” she chided.

“He can’t even see that you’re dressed up,” Fareeha said, laughing. Angela gasped and raised her hand as if she were going to throw her mascara at her,

“That’s not nice!” 

“He says worse jokes on the regular! I can say a few!” Fareeha defended, raising an arm just in case Angela decided to throw the tube at her. She wouldn’t, it was too expensive. 

“Still, be nice to him!” Angela said, returning the stuck out tongue she got from her friend. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail and started brushing it, hoping to calm some of the fluffiness. It had been a few days since she’d asked if Jack wanted to spend some time with her, and in that time he had seemed a little more evasive than usual. It was concerning, but she chopped it up to nerves about going out. When was the last time he’d been social? Even before the incident, he didn’t do much except working. 

“What’s with that look?” Angela asked, seeing Fareeha leaned forward on the bed, chin in hand with her eyebrows knitted together.

“Just… Be careful, Angela. Since Gabriel’s back, you don’t know if Jack might…” she trailed off, but Angela knew what she was implying. She frowned, her cheeks heating up,

“No, that won’t happen. He hasn’t really said anything about it. Not like that,” Angela said, hating how desperate she sounded. If Jack did decide she wasn’t for him? She could live with that. She had this long. She’d rather him be happy, even if it was without her.

“Well, just keep it in mind, Angie. I’d hate for you to get your hopes too far up just to get hurt, okay?”

Angela resigned herself, nodding, “Yes, I understand…” she thought about it for a moment, looking in the mirror. She pulled her mouth up into a smile anyways, patting her hair once it was perfect. She left the bathroom, grabbing her black dress and hanging it in the doorway. She pulled off her shirt and shorts, straightening the dress out gently and checking that there was no lint or anything on it. 

She pulled the dress off the hanger and stepped into it, pulling it up her body and over her shoulders. 

“Can you zip me up?” she asked, turning her back to Fareeha. The other woman took a few moments to get up and do as asked, humming softly,

“It looks nice,” she said.

Angela smiled and went back to the bathroom to look at herself, making sure it looked how she wanted, “Thank you!”

She tilted her head, observing the simple black lace design over her shoulders and clavicle. She worried it was a bit too revealing, but it was hard to see anything once it was on her. Plus, the dress went just above her knees, so it wasn’t too bad. 

She put on her diamond earrings and a simple, silver necklace. She pondered what was missing, and clasped a silver bracelet onto her right hand. Well, struggled to clasp it until Fareeha took pity on her and came over to help.

“Are you going to wear perfume?” she asked. Angela smiled and nodded, grabbing one that smelled like roses and sprayed it lightly on her neck and wrists, shaking herself once she was done. She turned to her friend, arms out,

“How do I look?”

“You look beautiful,” Fareeha gushed, making Angela blush, “Absolutely perfect. Though you should probably wear some shoes, huh?” 

Angela laughed and swatted at Fareeha’s arm, stepping past her to sit on the bed and pull on her black heels, “I know that! I meant everything else.”

“Well, how would I know? You’re forgetful sometimes!” Angela stuck her tongue out at being called forgetful. She didn’t forget! Things just slipped her mind when she was frazzled!

Angela grabbed a sleek, black clasp purse and smiled. She checked her french tipped nails, silently thanking the universe that Ana knew how to paint nails better than her. It was a skill she’d never mastered though she enjoyed having nice nails.

Once she was sure she wasn’t forgetting anything, she headed to the bathroom again just to give herself another once over and make sure she looked the way she wanted. She smiled at herself in the mirror, checking her teeth. She’d already brushed them, but she could never be too cautious. Fareeha laughed, “You look fine, Angie! He’s coming right now.”

As if on cue, she heard a knock at her door. She jumped, feeling that twisting anxiety in the pit of her stomach. She was a grown woman, she had no reason to get this anxious over something that wasn’t even technically a date!

She went to the door, gently shoving Fareeha out of the way when she tried to answer it. She blushed when she saw Jack standing before her in a simple, button down white shirt and black slacks. She’d guided him on what sort of clothes to wear, so she was happy to see they were matching somewhat. She looked down at his black shoes, then up to his face. She had half expected him to wear his sunglasses, the ones with the same equipment as his tactical visor though less advanced. Instead, his face was bare, his eyes somewhere just above her head. She grinned, 

“Hello, Jack!” she said excitedly.

Jack smiled slightly, the scar in his lip stretching in an almost morbid but mostly charming way, “Hey, Angela. The ferry is here for us, and Lena said nobody will notice us leaving at this time of day. We’re all set,” he said.

“Perfect!” Angela said, smiling sweetly. She heard Fareeha sit down on her bed, glancing back to see her spread out comfortably, scrolling through her phone. Jack linked his arm with hers, walking when she started. Fareeha called after them,

“You be safe, you crazy kids!” the door closed, Jack and Angela laughing softly at her.

Jack swiveled his head regularly, probably checking that there was nothing or nobody he was about to run into. Angela led him down the halls, her heels clicking softly as she headed for the dock where they could take a ferry to the mainland.

As they walked, they passed the recreation room. The door was open, and voices could be heard. She stopped, gently letting go of Jack to lean into the room. A majority of their agents were there crowded on the sofas and chairs around the television. Hana was listing off movies they could watch, scrolling through a streaming site. Genji and Lúcio were announcing their opinions of them all playfully: “Boring! That guy’s hot. What the hell is that about? Hell no, too scary!”

She cleared her throat to grab their attention, smiling sweetly when they looked to her, “Jack and I are going out to the mainland. I have my phone on, so if anything happens call me okay?”

Lúcio and Hana gasped together, laughed, then Hana grinned smugly, “Oohhh! Is it a date?”

Angela felt her face get a little warm, and she giggled away her nervousness. She opened her mouth to deny it, but Jack interrupted, pointing to Hana with pretty decent accuracy, 

“It’s not a date, nosy.”

Hana leaned over the back of the couch, remote in her hands, “What is it then?” she asked, a smile still on her lips.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Jack said with a wave of his hand making Hana and Lúcio laugh.

“What is it! Are you gonna kill someone?” Hana squinted, lips pursed.

“Nobody you could ever prove. Now, behave,” Jack said, an almost invisible smile on his lips as he turned to continue his way down the hall.

“Jack!” Angela chided, going after him. She heard the room burst into giggling and conversation, but didn’t pay it too much mind. She swore she could feel eyes on her, but ignored it to hold Jack’s arm and continue down the hall. 

__

Angela held onto Jack gently as they waited on the dock for their ride to the restaurant they’d be eating at. He was standing pretty still, looking both like he belonged around the bustling dock and like he stood above them all. That was something she always loved about him. He had a way of making everyone feel like his equal, but everyone seemed to look to him for guidance at the end of the day. She could never imagine what it would be like to have the entire world looking to her.

She smiled softly, remembering what he looked like sitting on the ferry, his face illuminated by the setting sun and his hair tousled by the wind. He looked like he’d stepped right out of a movie, and she could look at that image forever. She shuffled her weight on her feet, glancing around and grinning when she saw their ride stop before them.

“It’s here!” she said, gently pulling him to the autonomous car. When they got to the car, he felt the metal for a moment before tugging the handle and opening the door for her. She blushed. How gentlemanly.

She got in, and he got in after her, shutting the door. He leaned back, and she could see his mind racing despite his stoic features. She took a risk and slid her hand in with his as the car took off, squeezing his calloused hand gently, “It’s okay, Jack. We’ll be safe tonight, okay?” 

His jaw tightened and he squeezed her hand ever so gently in return, making her heart feel like it was about to fly right out of her throat. He didn’t say anything, a man of few words. He looked out the window instead, his hand slowly drawing away to rest on his knee. She missed the rough warmth against her skin, but smiled at his turned face.

It didn’t take long to get to the restaurant. When the car stopped, Angela got out of the car with Jack in tow. She turned to look at him, standing on the sidewalk. He was turning his head subtly with the sounds of traffic and people around them in the city, his body tight. She reached out and held his arm, rubbing his bicep, 

“Hey, I’m here, Jack. What’s wrong?”

“There’s… A lot of noise. I don’t know where I’m at either,” he said, his voice low. 

“Jack, I think you should use your cane more often. I gave it to you for you to use when you can’t have your visor,” Angela said, standing there to let him get more accustomed to the onslaught of sound.

“No, I don’t want to use it. Then it’s obvious that I can’t fucking see,” he said, gritting his teeth a moment and brushing a hand through his messy hair.

“We can talk about this later, okay? Come on, the restaurant is just a bit away. It’ll be quieter there.”

Jack was still for a moment, but slowly nodded. She could see his mind racing, so she tried to ground him as best she could with their arms linked, and her hand on his bicep still. She walked with him, guiding him but trying not to make that obvious. She felt bad, really. She had experienced only a fraction of the blind experience in medical school. She remembered the feeling of her classmate’s hand on her shoulder, guiding her blindfolded self through a busy mall. Honestly, it was awfully overwhelming and she’d barely been able to get through it.

She couldn’t imagine that feeling every day, feeling like the world was a wall of sound around her and every touch was unexpected and made her so jumpy. She couldn’t imagine not being able to take off the blindfold at the end of the day, or having to move through the world alone without someone guiding you and explaining what was going on. 

She caught herself and reprimanded. She didn’t want to pity him. He didn’t want that, and she knew that. She was startled out of her thoughts by the feeling of being tugged to the side. Jack froze in the middle of the sidewalk, his body as stiff as a board. Someone had run into him, dropping their book bag. Not much had fallen out, but the guy clearly wasn’t very happy. 

“Sorry! Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Jack said, awkwardly standing there. Angela bit her lip, keeping herself from saying anything to the other man about paying attention and not running into people. It would only serve to make this even worse.

“Qué hace, quillo!” the guy said, huffing and standing. He got closer to Jack, pointing a finger at him accusingly, “Mira a dónde diablo va!” he stormed off, carrying his bag and grumbling. Jack’s face was tense, almost unreadable if Angela hadn’t grown so accustomed to knowing how to understand his body language. 

“Jack? Are you okay?” Angela asked, slowly pulling him closer to a wall. He leaned back against it, looking a bit shaken. She could see people looking at them, trying to be subtle about it but failing. She sent steely eyes back at them until they moved on with their days.

“Yeah…” he said, but nothing else. She watched him, slowly rubbing his arm to try and comfort him. It took a while of him standing there to finally draw him out of his own head. He looked down at her,

“We should go.”

Angela nodded and started down the sidewalk again. She could see he was still nervous, but she paid closer attention to their surroundings to keep anything from happening again. They got to the restaurant finally, and she reached out to open the door. They walked in together, and the world was immediately quieter around them. Jack’s shoulders released a bit of their tension as the door closed, blocking off the outside world. 

Angela moved them to the check-in podium, giving her name for the reservation. The man looked at Jack who was just standing there a bit awkwardly, then back to Angela as she gave her name. She smiled at him, and he nodded,

“Right this way,” he said. 

Angela gently linked her arm with Jack, walking with him to follow the waiter. Jack looked around at every sound, so Angela squeezed his arm to try and ease him a bit. When they got to the table, she said subtly, 

“Your chair is right in front of you,” and slowly let him go. He reached out for the chair, missing at first but then grabbing it and pulling it out and seating himself. Once he was settled, she sat down as well. The waiter set two menus before them as well as napkins and silverware. He looked to Angela, 

“I’ll bring some water so you can have some time to think,” and walked away.

Angela took the menu, opening it and looking up at Jack. He was feeling along the table with the tips of his fingers, taking the silverware and napkin in his hand. He set the silverware to the side, then set the napkin in his lap.

“Can you…” Jack hesitated, huffing quietly, “read the menu?”

Angela nodded, smiling, “Of course, Jack. I’m glad you were able to ask me,” she said, setting the menu on the table and placing a finger onto the laminated page to keep track of where she was.

“Do you want a drink?”

“Yeah. Do they have,” he thought, turning his head to the side a bit sheepishly. She knew he was embarrassed about needing help with something like this, “I’ll… just have water. I should drink more anyways.”

“Okay, Jack. There’s soups, salads, fish, and pastas. What do you want?”

“I think.. Salad and pasta?” Jack said, setting the menu on the edge of the table. Angela nodded and read off the types of salad as their waiter came to the table and set down their glasses of water.

“Are we ready?” he asked, taking out a notepad. Angela smiled, 

“Give us a few more minutes, please,” she looked to Jack, “Water is in front of you, a bit to your left.” Jack moved his hand along the table until he found the glass, nodding and leaving it alone for now. The waiter walked away. 

It took a bit longer to read through the options and what was in them, but Angela didn’t mind at all. Once Jack had decided, and Angela knew what she wanted, she waved to the waiter. He came over and opened his notepad, smiling at Angela,

“What does he want?” he asked her. She looked to Jack, 

“Go ahead,” she said, prompting him. Jack looked towards the waiter, blinking once, twice, as if remembering. He seemed to find his words and ordered his food, fingers sliding against the table a second before he grabbed his water. Angela noted he was getting better at remembering where things were. 

“What kind of dressing does he want?” the waiter asked her again.

“Ranch, please,” Jack said.

“Does he want a drink?”

“Water is fine,” he answered. Angela felt her eye twitch just slightly, keeping her lips sealed the entire time. She hated that. Why was she being asked? Jack could answer for himself! Out of respect, however, she said nothing and let Jack speak for himself. If he wanted a confrontation, he could say something. That didn’t mean Angela couldn’t think about scolding the waiter.

“And what would you like?” the waiter asked Angela.

Angela requested her white pasta and glass of white wine, smiling ever sweetly. The man nodded and left with their orders and menus. 

“He took the menu,” Angela told Jack. He nodded, looking towards her with a soft smile,

“You’re upset. Why?”

“How can you tell?” Angela asked, laughing quietly.

“It’s a gift,” Jack gave a one shouldered shrug, grabbing his water glass and taking another drink.

“Are you using your people skills on me?” Angela teased. Jack faked offense,

“People skills? Never,” he said, making her giggle.

“You look nice, Jack. Did you have those clothes already?”

Jack nodded, “Yeah, but Torbjörn had to help me a bit,” he admitted. 

“What with? Matching?”

Jack rubbed the side of his neck, “No, everything I really own is black and white except my jacket and visor. I couldn’t do the buttons,” he admitted. Angela found his bit of shyness endearing,

“I’m shocked he didn’t brush your hair,” she said, noting the usual messiness of the white locks.

“He did!” Jack laughed, “It doesn’t listen, I’ve tried to explain. Even before it was all grey, it took a pound of gel to stay still and I still had that stupid ass cowlick.”

“Oh, but Jack, your cowlick is cute!” Angela said, seeing the tuft of particularly unruly hair at the back of his head. Jack ran his hand through his hair, laughing with her and shaking his head.

Angela was glad Jack could be so relaxed around her, and was glad that he was rebuilding his friendships. She remembered at first when he wouldn’t talk to anyone except for Ana or do anything except work and stay by himself. She could see that he’d wanted to, but she felt like maybe he didn’t know how or was too scared to try. She could understand that.

She remembered seeing everyone avoid him, and whoever didn’t was given the coldest shoulder possible. Jack, a man of many talents, could give a killer silent treatment. She remembered everyone’s shock when a young soldier cracked through his gritty exterior, getting the quietest of laughs out of him. Hana and Jack had been near inseparable ever since. On missions, she never wanted to go without him and he without her. When he or she was working around base, the other came and spent time. After that, she could see him slowly start to open up again. He’d already spent time with Ana, but Hana stole his time after that. Lúcio came along, and joined their group, bringing his friend Efi along with him. Then Jamison and Mako were caught, and the notorious Junkrat joined their group of friends.

Talking to their old friends, everyone agreed that Jack needed those young recruits. 

_”He has to remember that it’s not all the same people,”_ Ana had said, always the best at reading Jack like an open book, _”He needs to remember what he’s fighting for.”_

Angela wished so desperately to reach in and scrape the remnants of war from Jack, but she knew that it was built so deeply into him that if she were to do that then there would be nothing else. The most she could do was what she was doing now, reminding him that he was still a human despite the weapon they’d carved him into. She could see his humanity in his smile, and hear it when he laughed, and felt it when he held her hand or grabbed her out on the field to shield her.

Their date continued in this way, Angela and Jack just laughing and talking to each other over their meals. She helped him figure out what was on his plate and where, subtly teaching him more ways to adjust to not having his visor. He relied on it so much, she chided him, how would he manage if he lost it?

He agreed to learn, but would continue to use it whenever he wanted to. That was fine. Most of it, however, was spent with their ailments totally forgotten. Nothing but laughter, jokes, and stories were shared between them. She could have listened to him talk about silly things forever. Long after they’d finished their meals and their table was cleared, Angela and Jack finally decided it was time to return home. They split the bill since neither of them would back down on paying, Jack being a smart-ass and asking what every bill he pulled out of his wallet was because he knew she couldn’t lie to him to get him to pay less than her.

Granted, they didn’t have too much money between them but it wasn’t an expensive place to eat anyways. 

“I should get a job,” Jack stated as they waited outside for their ride. Angela looked up at him, 

“Where would you work?”

“Underground things, probably, but we need more money on base. We can’t live between Hana and Lúcio ’s kindness.”

A lot of the money recruits brought was put into repairs and keeping the place running. What was left between them was spent on food and other necessities. Most of their income was from Hana and Lúcio by their insistence. They were pretty famous, they could afford it they said. Winston limited the amount they could spend on the organization. They couldn’t let their money be used solely on Overwatch. 

“As long as you’re careful, Jack,” Angela said.

“I always am!” Jack said, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes,

“Says the same man who just about broke his leg trying to repair the ceiling,” Angela reminded.

“Not my fault. Ladder was unstable,” Jack defended.

“Right,” Angela drew out, laughing, “I could bring up a million instances of you not being careful and still not name them all.” Jack didn’t respond to her, just making the slightest mocking face instead. 

Their ordered car pulled up, and she walked with Jack to it. When she stopped, Jack felt for a moment before he grabbed the handle and opened it for her again. She got in, scooting over so he could get in with her. They both buckled in once the door was closed, and they took off towards the docks. 

They got back, walking leisurely towards their nearest entrance. Angela held onto his arm, and she felt so sweet and happy in their shared and comfortable silence. Jack walked her to her room, releasing her from his arm and stepping back.

“I had a good time tonight,” Jack said, his voice low.

“I’m so glad, Jack. It’s good to get out sometimes and have fun,” Angela said, leaning against the wall lightly.

“Yeah…” Jack rubbed his neck, then looked around a bit, “I know the way to my room. You should get some rest.”

Angela nodded and moved closer, hugging him closely. Jack jumped, then hugged her back with one arm. She shut her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his warmth against her, the smell of their basic soaps having never been so good on anyone else.

She felt cold when they pulled apart, and she rubbed his arm gently, “Goodnight, Jack.”

“Night, Angie.”

She went into her room after, gasping when she saw Fareeha spread out and asleep in her tank top and some shorts. She hadn’t been expecting the other woman to still be there, but she recovered quickly. She slipped away to the bathroom and washed away her makeup, changing into some pajamas and putting her nice clothes away. They weren’t dirty, so there was no need to waste water washing them.

She brushed her hair back, then went around her bed and slipped under the cushions. She wasn’t tired, but she didn’t want to wake her friend by turning on the light or making more noise. She pulled out her phone and wasted time that way instead, scrolling aimlessly as she thought about her day. She’d gotten her date with Jack. Why, then, didn’t she feel as electrified as she always imagined she’d be?

__

Fire, so much fire. He couldn’t see anything but flashes of light in his vision, and everything hurt. He was clawing through the rubble with broken fingers, pain jolting through his body at every move.

He couldn’t see. Where was Gabriel?

He tried to scream for him, but his voice came out as a harsh rasp and a bubble of blood. He gasped for breath, warm liquid filling his mouth. He spat, and tried again. He kept trying, glass and stone digging into his skin as he crawled. If he kept moving, he wouldn’t die. If he didn’t die, he could find Gabriel. If he could find Gabriel, everything would be okay. 

He heard the crackles of flames all around him, roaring and breathing on his face like an angered beast.

A hand grabbed his, and he panicked. Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel. Save him. 

He pushed away pounds of concrete only to find more over the body of his beloved. He kept digging until his nails were broken and his fingers bloodied. He had to save him. He couldn’t leave him behind. He never had. 

He felt fabric. The hoodie Gabriel wore, coated in something warm and wet. He grabbed for the man he couldn’t see, pulling him close to his body. He cried, face so wet from blood he couldn’t feel the tears running down his cheeks. He was still, so still. Breathing ragged, Jack tried desperately to save him. Flames engulfed him, leaving him in a pile of ashes. 

His arms were empty.

Where was Gabriel? He moved to try and stand, but he didn’t know where he was. The ground was uneven, feet slipping on unseen debris. 

He reached out to try and catch himself. His fingers found a warm body, and he held it tightly. The smell of smoke and cold ashes filled his lungs, forcing him to pull away so he wouldn’t choke. 

“Reaper?” he managed to ask. No answer, but he knew that body better than anything else. He gripped the man close to himself again even if he couldn’t breathe, feeling cold metal claws grip him back. Hands, more hands grabbed for Jack. Pulling at him, ripping at his clothing and hair. He held Gabriel tighter, but he was let go. He scrambled for purchase on the floor, but the hands pulled him harder, nails gripping into his skin. He was surrounded, but he could feel Gabriel close. Why wasn’t he talking?

He heard screams, shouts. People he’d failed, everyone he couldn’t save. Everyone he’d left behind. His mother’s voice calling out for him, begging him to take away her sickness. His brother’s mixed voices shouting for him to keep going, get up and keep moving. Vincent screaming, asking why, why, why? The voices of people he had to leave behind. Voices he’d had to silence with his own weapons. The hands tore him apart, voices growing louder. He could hear his friends, screaming in pain in the battlefield. Cold metal gauntlets gripped his face, piercing his skin and ripping.

__

Jack sat up in bed with a jolt, gasping for breath and trying to shake the feeling of hands on his skin. His hands shook, so he gripped them into fists. Cold metal bit into his hand, and felt the ridges of his sidearm against his fingers. The world was dark around him, so trying to aim would have been useless, but he’d grabbed the gun from under his pillow anyways. 

He felt along his bed until he grabbed his visor. It never left his side. He grabbed that, the mask next to it and the part that connected to the back of his neck. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He grabbed the pieces for his neck and put them in place, grabbing the visor when the neck pieces clicked in place. It wasn’t comfortable against his sweaty skin, but he wasn’t going to go sightless. Not when his heart was hammering in its cage. He pressed the visor into place, then pressed the side to turn it on. He winced at the sudden burst of vision and color. The visor was not a delicate machine, it was sudden and harsh to wear. It was tiring, but Jack would not live without it. 

He looked around his room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Of course nobody would be in his room, he’d have been alerted far earlier. Still, Jack got out of bed and pulled his shirt down from where it’d ridden up his back from thrashing. He grabbed the gun again, carrying it as he searched his entire room. The pit in his stomach began to close once he was sure nobody was hiding in his room, closet, or bathroom. 

He opened his bedroom door and continued his scan throughout the base. He walked down every hallway, the red glow of his visor illuminating the world around him. It was the middle of the night, and everyone was asleep. He looked at every door he passed for any signs of forced entry. There were none, of course. He checked the cafeteria, and everything was in place there too. He needed a break, he was still shaking. He headed out to the hangar, walking barefoot past the training grounds and down the hill that led to the cliff face. 

He saw a dark shape against the rocks, squinting slightly as he moved closer. His bare feet kept him quiet as he walked, trying to see what it was. Too small to be Winston, and nobody else was so dark. His distracted brain took a bit to recognize it,

“Gabriel? What are you doing out here?” he asked, stopping near the edge of the cliff. He relaxed his hold on his gun, sure he didn’t need to fire.

Gabriel was sitting on a rock, knees to his chest. He looked over at Jack, reminding him of an owl looking down from its perch in a barn. He supposed that was what Gabriel had gone for in the first place. 

“Same as you. Can’t sleep,” Gabriel said, arms crossing over his knees. 

“How’d you guess I couldn’t sleep?” Jack asked, sitting down with his legs over the cliff’s edge. He left room between himself and Gabriel.

“You’ve never been able to sleep a whole night. Always went outside when you couldn’t sleep too.”

The wind buffeted Gabriel’s hood, and Jack felt a chill at the cold air over his skin. He crossed his legs at the ankles, looking out at the ocean. It was surprisingly still.

“Why can’t you sleep?” Jack asked, not looking over.

“Stupid things they put on my legs,” the man grumbled, “I can’t sleep with them on.”

“They haven’t taken them off?” Jack asked, eyebrows knitting. Gabriel scoffed, 

“Think they’ll risk me getting away?”

“If you wanted to leave, you’d have done it already,” Jack scoffed, “Fucking Winston… Let me see,” he said, turning to face Gabriel. The man looked at him,

“What are you going to do?”

“Going to take them off. Let me see,” he dug in his pajama pants pockets, finally finding a bobby pin.

“Why do you have a hair pin?”

“Hana needs them a lot so I carry them just in case,” Jack excused, waving his hand for Gabriel to move. With a quiet huff, Gabriel swung his legs over for Jack to be able to reach. 

Jack looked at the cuff around his boot-clad ankles, lined with little blinking lights. 

“These should have been off earlier. They didn’t restrict Bastion at all,” Jack said, disappointed that they would keep Gabriel locked up for this long. He hunched over Gabriel’s legs and turned the cuffs until he found the locking mechanism. He bent the bobby pin and bit off the rounded, plastic tip with his teeth. He pushed it into the lock, going to work on picking it. 

“Guessing you don’t like Winston?” Gabriel asked, leaning back a bit. Jack answered him with a snort, 

“You could say that.”

“Overheard that you two had an argument,” the man continued. Jack felt a little embarrassed that he’d heard about that.

“Yeah, I don’t like being talked down to. Treat me like a criminal when you’re the one inviting little kids into your illegal reform group?” Jack laughed indignantly.

Gabriel was quiet for a moment as the first cuff came off. Jack took it and set it aside, working on the second one.

“Why’d you join then?” he asked finally.

“Ana thought it would be best if we made more connections. We’re going back to what we were doing soon, but we’ve got to let our trails go cold first,” Jack said, “Almost got tracked down.”

“So you’re going to leave again?” 

“Yeah, Ana and I both. We’ll have better supplies too, hopefully. We’ll keep contact,” Jack said, setting the second cuff down. Gabriel stretched his legs, seeming to move easier already. Jack doubted he’d get entirely used to seeing the smoke coming off of the other man, but he seemed more relaxed at least.

“What about Angela?” he asked, criss-crossing his legs.

“What about her?” Jack asked, tucking the cuffs into his pocket with the bobby pin. 

“You went on a date with her, right?” Gabriel asked, making Jack roll his eyes.

“It wasn’t a date. Why does everyone think it was a date?”

“You two were dressed up and went to dinner. And the way she was looking at you? Seemed like a date,” Gabriel explained. Jack rolled his eyes, turning towards a small group of rocks. He took off the top rock, feeling Gabriel looking at him. He pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the hiding spot. 

“Gabriel, do you really not know? I thought I’d have told you,” he said, taking out a cigarette and setting the pack aside. He clicked off his visor and set it aside, placing the cigarette between his lips and lighting it.

“Know what?”

Jack laughed quietly, “You know I’m gay, Gabriel. I told you, I’m sure of it,” he said, blowing smoke away from the other man. 

Gabriel was quiet for a long time, and Jack looked towards him. He hadn’t left like Jack was expecting, but his blob of color and shapes was a lot more fluid than usual,

“What? I told you right?”

Gabriel’s voice was a little rougher, sounding confused, “You did… I didn’t remember. I…”

Jack watched him, seeing him slowly stop moving again. It clicked in his mind, “You lost some memories, huh?”

“Yeah. I thought I got them all back,” Gabriel said. Jack bit the inside of his cheek, thinking about it. He’d lost memories too, but Angela was sure they were repressed and not from amnesia. They came up in his dreams. He wondered if Gabriel lost memories for the same reason, or something worse.

“It’s not very public. They all think I was bisexual, not gay. I didn’t tell them the whole truth,” Jack admitted. He regretted not telling the truth when he’d had the chance, but that was what his boss had told him to do at the time. He said what his boss said to say to avoid too large of a scandal on that front, along with everything else going on at the time.

“I… I remember now,” Gabriel said, sounding upset still. Jack didn’t reprimand him. Instead, he held out the pack of cigarettes, 

“Want one?”

He felt Gabriel slide one from the pack, and Jack held out the lighter. He placed his own cigarette between his lips, sparking the lighter and cupping it with his other hand so it wouldn’t be blown out by the ocean breeze. He held it a bit away from him, but not far so he wouldn’t possibly burn the other man. 

“Thanks,” Gabriel said. Jack took it as his cue to put it away. He blew out another puff of smoke, thinking as the wind blew sea spray into his face,

“Things should be easier to do” he finally said, “now that those things are gone.” He’d seen Gabriel struggle during training, but he didn’t know why. He didn’t get close enough.

“I better not get any shit for not having them on,” Gabriel said.

Jack scoffed, flicking his cigarette, “Anyone says anything to you, tell ‘em to talk to me about it. Stupid things have no right being on you that long, it’s ridiculous,” he shook his head. 

“Why couldn’t you sleep?” Gabriel asked, probably having nodded before as an agreement. 

Jack was quiet for a moment, remembering the feeling of smoke tight in his chest and hands grabbing at his skin. He pulled himself out of his zoning out, wondering for a second how long he’d thought about his dream,

“Nightmare,” Jack admitted, figuring there was no point in trying to hide it. 

“Is that why you have a gun?”

“Did a security check,” Jack said, feeling sheepish. He felt the cold bite of the gun at his side with the edges of his fingers, facing the ocean instead.

Gabriel didn’t talk again for a bit, and when he did he was standing, “I’m going to try and sleep so I don’t fall asleep while I’m meditating with Zenyatta.”

“Alright,” Jack said, snuffing his cigarette and setting it into the cigarette box. He heard Gabriel’s bootsteps retreating, and he hesitated on whether he should speak. When he did, he said, “I’m awake around the same time every night, if you’re awake too.”

Gabriel didn’t say anything, but Jack knew he’d been heard. He sat on the cool stone, enjoying the smell of sea salt and the feeling of wind against his body. He let his mind wander as he sat there long enough for the dawn to break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	5. Chapter 5

Gabriel walked to Zenyatta’s room like he always did in the morning. He knocked, adjusting the mask around his face while he waited. It took a tad longer than usual for Zenyatta to open the door. He waved in his circular, stiff manner. Gabriel wondered momentarily why his wave was so robotic when everything else about the omnic seemed to be so fluid.

**”Can’t fake being human that well, can you?"** Gabriel huffed quietly to overpower the thought.

“Hello, my friend! I’m sorry, time seems to have slipped my mind! My apologies,” he moved to the side to allow room, and Lúcio slipped through with a bright grin, 

“Oh, hi Reaper! I didn’t know you and Zenny were friends!” he said, hands on his blue armored hips, “Do you want me to call you Reaper or Gabriel?” he asked, leaning a bit closer and lowering his voice. Zenyatta chirped a laugh at Lúcio's mannerisms.

**”Get away!”**

“Gabriel is fine, I guess,” he replied, shrugging slightly and crossing his arms against the nanites buzzing in his skin at Lúcio's energetic body in such close quarters. Lúcio grinned again, 

“Alright! I’ll see you guys later, then! Have fun!” he walked off, pulling out his phone and some earbuds. Zenyatta motioned into his room, 

“I’m glad to see you, Gabriel. Have you eaten breakfast today?” 

He had been meditating with Zenyatta twice a day for the few months he’d been there, and Zenyatta asked him that question every single time. He’d ask if he’d eaten dinner in their evening sessions as well.

“Yes, just like every time,” Gabriel said, walking into the room. Granted, he didn’t eat every time because it wasn’t satisfying, he wouldn’t tell Zenyatta. When he did lie, however, Zenyatta had a weird ability to catch him in the lie. 

“I have to check. You’ve been quite lethargic lately, I see,” Zenyatta commented as the door closed. He floated over to the pillows set out by the window, lowering himself down once Gabriel knelt down. The nanites in his body relaxed again. They did that when there was nothing alive nearby for them to be attracted to.

“Lethargic?”

“Tired, low energy, perhaps dep-”

“I know what lethargic means, Zenyatta. I mean, why do you think I’m lethargic?”

“You move slower and do not do much other than meditate and train with us despite having the cuffs taken off of your legs. Do you know why that might be?” Zenyatta turned to Gabriel, hands in his lap.

“I,” Gabriel didn’t know whether or not to tell him the truth. He decided to go for it, on the off chance Zenyatta might be able to help him or something. It was hard not to trust Zenyatta at least a little bit, all things considered. He had been seeing Zenyatta daily for this long after all, “I’m using most of my energy keeping myself together.”

“Keeping yourself together? You mean not turning into smoke, yes?”

“Right… How do you know about that?”

“I must confess I spoke to your friends a bit to find out more about you. I wished to know what maybe we should work on together, I asked for no personal details. Your friend Amélie told me about your… she said it is called a wraith form?”

“That’s what they called it,” Gabriel said, thinking about Moira and Akande momentarily before he pushed it out again. He heard a low, animal noise in his head at the thought.

“Yes, and Sombra mentioned that food didn’t do much for you?” Zenyatta spoke it like a question, confirming the information he was given.

**”Dammit, Olivia."**

“Yeah…” Gabriel looked away for a second, then back to the scratched face-plate, “It doesn’t give me enough energy to maintain a human form. Unless I eat inhuman amounts of it, and even then I burn through it too fast for it to be worth it.”

“I understand… What do you eat then, if I may ask?”

How did he know this question was coming up, and yet still was unsure how to handle it. 

**”He’ll think you’re a freak! Freak, freak-”**

“It’s complicated.” His body ached for a moment, like his stomach was growling but all over his body. He grit his teeth against the hunger he felt.

“You need not tell me, if you don’t wish. However, do know that I am only here to help you. Perhaps we could get something to better sustain you.”

“I eat organic matter,” Gabriel said in a rush, wanting to just get it out without dwelling, “Kind of. I drain people’s life forces. I can drain animals, but it doesn’t work as well unless it’s a huge animal and even then it burns too fast. So, humans is what I usually… drain.” There was that ache again as he talked about it, nanites humming excitedly despite there being nothing nearby to consume.

Zenyatta was quiet for a few moments before nodding, “I do not think I can easily obtain humans for you to drain, but perhaps animals? Animals, combined with food, I think would be better than what we have now for you.”

Not for the first time, Gabriel was blown away by how easily Zenyatta just accepted things even if they were weird or perhaps even scary.

**”Freak.”**

“I don’t want everyone knowing, Zenyatta. Besides, that sounds too complicated to do. Why are you so okay with knowing I eat people?”

Zenyatta looked at him, and Gabriel could swear he was smiling, “I have traveled the world, my friend. As an omnic who has interacted with people of all backgrounds, I have learned not to associate things one has to do with what that person wants to do. I can see you do not enjoy doing this, but you have to.”

Zenyatta wasn’t wrong.

“Perhaps we can think of something to do to allow you to eat without breaking too many laws?”

“Zenyatta, are you trying to get me further on Winston’s shit list? He has Athena listening to me, and she’ll tell him.”

**”Going to jail. Rot in a cell.”** Gabriel knew he could escape a security prison, but he’d rather not have to.

“Athena does not monitor my room. Being an omnic with an overseeing AI on base has a few perks, you know?” his forehead array twinkled mischievously, and Gabriel had to be a bit impressed by his boldness.

“What would you want to do?”

“I feel that animals would be hard to do on an island, though we are surrounded by ocean if that works?”

“Too hard to latch onto in the ocean,” Gabriel shook his head. He’d tried before, and it didn’t go very well. Smoke wasn’t powerful in the face of water. He felt a shiver try to run up his spine, stopping halfway. 

“I see… Perhaps that would not be a good idea anyways, considering Winston is a gorilla. That leaves humans. I do not condone the ending of innocent lives.”

“What about lives that aren’t innocent?”

Zenyatta looked away noncommittally, “There is a prison not far from this base. It is quite small, but not the only one in this country. I believe we are having a meeting later today, I could speak to Winston about visits to the city to stretch your legs? One trust building exercise is spending time together watching movies and such, after all,” he said vaguely, waving his hand. Gabriel didn’t expect this from the omnic though it seemed he was full of surprises. 

“You’re a lot to take in, sometimes, Zenyatta.”

“The health of my friends is very high on my list of concerns. Until then, we can try to find other things to help. I will do my best to think of ideas, and if you have any ideas let me know.”

Gabriel wasn’t sure how to react to all this, so he just nodded and adjusted his position on the pillow. As if nothing had happened, Zenyatta began to guide him into meditation. It was the same as always, mind focused on his chaotic body as it struggled to fall apart and stay together all at once. His mind still couldn’t relax through his pains, no matter how deep the breaths he took were. It was as if when he sat down to meditate, his nanites wanted to vibrate through his entire body when any other time he just wanted to sleep or feed. Zenyatta, however, didn’t seem to notice the smoke in the room. If he did, he said nothing. Instead, he would remind Gabriel once in a while to draw his mind back to his body, or back to his senses. It could have been hours as far as Gabriel was aware before Zenyatta finally spoke the closing words,

“Allow your mind to draw back up your body again. Take notice of what you feel, but do nothing to change it. Open your eyes once you have reached the top of your head, and take a deep breath. Exhale, and appreciate yourself and all that you are able to do.” 

Gabriel did as told, sighing his breath out and stretching his arms out ahead of him. If anything, this whole meditation exercise routine had made it a little easier to shove the voice of the Reaper to the back of his mind. It was still there, but he didn’t get caught up on it too much. He awaited the day it would grow tired of being ignored. His shoulders cracked loudly, and he groaned quietly, shaking his head and looking around the room. Zenyatta rose again, legs folded as he levitated to his cabinet to make some tea. 

“Why do you float? I don’t think I’ve seen that in an omnic with legs,” Gabriel said, legs out in front of him as he looked at the other.

“My legs do not work well due to previous damage. I can stand, but it costs much energy from me, and it does not serve much purpose,” he said easily, taking the cup that had apparently started belonging to the wraith. Gabriel thought about this for a moment, taking in the exposed wires and connections along Zenyatta’s back. The place where his leg met prosthetic started to tingle slightly, as if awakened by the reminder of damage there. There was no doubt to him that the omnic had also taken damage. If he wanted to, he could rip Zenyatta’s wires apart with zero resistance because there was no plating to protect him from such an attack. He wondered how Zenyatta fared in the rain, with all the electrics exposed. 

“Can’t you get that fixed? There’s repair shops, and that wouldn’t be a hard job.”

“I prefer to live my life as close to being human as possible. I do not change things about me, I embrace my natural changes with open arms. I could have a new face-plate without any scratches, but then there would be no sign of the life that I have lived. I have a wheelchair that I use on occasion, when it is less appropriate for me to levitate. I find this mode to be a bit easier to manage, what with going on missions and the like,” he waved his hand slowly.

“Why did you change your plating then? Your wires and inner workings are all… exposed,” Gabriel said, accepting the cup of tea that was handed to him. He set it beside the pillow he was on.

Zenyatta was quiet for a moment, then sat before Gabriel, “Many humans are afraid of omnics because we have such heavy metal armor. They fear that we are at an advantage, because humans are very soft and easy to hurt while omnics are built to take more harm than humans can handle. I had my armor removed so the humans I interact with can see that I am as easily damaged as they are, and I have found that this has caused them to trust me easier. It makes me less bulky, as well, so I am not much larger than the average human.”

“Aren’t you afraid the next time someone tries to hurt you, they’re going to do worse than damage your legs?”

“I welcome adversity, my friend. If the universe decides I must weather a challenge, I will find my way through. I have trust in my abilities.”

Gabriel wondered, not for the first time, what this omnic had been through in his life. He seemed to keep the details of his history close to his chest, however, other than the things that were obvious. It was hard to believe the omnic was only twenty years old given the amount of wisdom he seemed to radiate. He also seemed to command respect. He’d seen small interactions Zenyatta had with the people on base, and none of them seemed to disregard him. Lena, for example, idolized him.

He adjusted the hood over his head, sighing softly and nodding. He didn’t know how to respond.

“May I ask you a question that may sound a tad alarming?” Zenyatta prompted, hands coming to rest in his lap.

“Sure, go ahead,” Gabriel said, leveling his gaze to the omnic. The voice in his head hummed quietly, interested.

“Are you familiar at all with the ideas of Harmony and Discord?” he asked.

Gabriel thought for a moment, then nodded, “That’s from the Shambali teachings, right?” He remembered being near a conversation with Jack and Mondatta where those ideas were mentioned when they were transporting the Shambali leader back to his temple.

**”Jack”** the voice repeated a few times.

“Yes, then you know that Harmony is the good within us, and Discord is everything we perceive as bad within us.” Gabriel nodded as Zenyatta spoke, allowing him to continue, “I sense much Discord within you, my friend, and I remember the same feeling from Genji when we had first met. I was going to extend an offering to try something with you that I tried with him, another time that we meet.”

“And what is that?” Gabriel asked warily.

“I have the ability to somewhat control Harmony and Discord. I can concentrate it, and bring it to the forefront of your thoughts. I found that with Genji, doing this was therapeutic for him and allowed him to work through his thoughts and feelings without any hindrance. I have used it once on you, but too shortly for it to be of any use, when we first captured you. If you would allow me, I believe it would be helpful for you to ease the turmoil you are feeling. You could ask Genji, if you wished to know a bit more about it. I could speak of it, as I have had it done to me, but I worry it would be a different experience for an omnic than a human.”

Gabriel took a few moments to understand exactly what was being offered. He tilted his head slightly, “You want to do what exactly with that?”

“I wish to concentrate your Discord and that would allow you to cope through your thoughts, feelings, and experiences without the filter of your conscious mind stopping you. I feel that you have the same problem as Genji did. You take your feelings and force them down, correct?” 

Gabriel didn’t agree, but he couldn’t disagree without lying and being called out on the lie by Zenyatta. The monk continued,

“And these emotions later come to the surface and are taken out on others or yourself in the form of anger, yes?”

Again, Gabriel said nothing but he felt like he was in the hot seat. 

“Do not feel like I am trying to reprimand you, my friend,” Zenyatta held up a hand, forehead array blinking softly, “I am here to help you. I believe if we were to try this, it could make it easier for you to be at peace with what you are. I sense much discontent between yourself and your body. However, do know that you are not required to agree to do this. And we need not do it any time soon. I only wish for you to think about the prospect.”

“Will do,” Gabriel said quietly, rising to his feet and taking the cup of sweet black tea. Zenyatta rose as well, moving to push the keypad and open the door for him,

“I’m so glad that you will consider it, my friend. I will be seeing you at the meeting tonight, yes? Athena will be calling us when it is time.”

Gabriel nodded and left the room, hands clasped around the cup carefully as to not drop it or risk spilling its contents.

__

Jack stood in the stream of water long after he’d finished his shower. He ran his hand through his hair, swiping it off of his forehead. He let the water soak into his tired muscles until he heard soft music playing from his room. He furrowed his brow and shut off the water, peeling the curtain back and grabbing his towel. He dried off in record time, listening to the music. He relaxed momentarily when he recognized it as Lúcio's, but then stressed out again because there was only ever one reason Lúcio played soft music in his room. He tossed his towel carelessly, pulling on boxers and jeans before grabbing his compression shirt and opening the bathroom door as he pulled the shirt on. 

He could see the shapes of Lúcio and Hana, colors barely standing out enough to identify Hana’s pink sweater and Lúcio's blue leg braces. He grabbed the pieces to his visor from the bed, clipping them all into place. When he looked down at the two, sitting on the edge of his bed, he could tell something really wasn’t right. He frowned and sat beside them. Hana’s head was down, and Lúcio's arm was around her carefully. Calming music played through Lúcio's phone, and Jack understood. He’d given the two his room pass-code for times like this. 

He looked at Hana, saw the thousand yard stare on her still blurry face. It made him feel guilty about the whiskey sitting warm in his belly. He sighed and slipped his arm around her shoulders, Lúcio drawing away slowly,

“I’ve got her now. You can go, Lúcio. Make sure nobody’s worried, okay?”

“Alright, Jack. I’ll leave my phone here for now. Worry about getting it to me later,” he said, getting up and slipping out of the room as subtly as possible. Jack gently rubbed his fingers into Hana’s shoulder when the door slid closed.

“Hana,” he said. No answer. He shook her shoulder just slightly, “Hana. Hana Song. D.va,” he tried each name to draw her attention, waiting a few seconds between each. Her body was still, breath a little ragged. When he used her MEKA name, she shifted to look at him instead of her knees.

“I can’t….” she murmured quietly, “I can’t keep killing things. These omnics and Titans and… I can’t do it. It’s like killing a person, and I have to do it with a smile on my face. People watch me stream these… people dying.”

“What were you doing?” Jack asked, fingers working the tense muscles of Hana’s shoulder.

“I can’t keep doing it!” she blurted out, “I get to come here and relax for a week or two, then I have to go back and keep killing and almost dying and watching my friends almost die. It follows me everywhere, even here! I have to act like it doesn’t, and… I can’t,” she said, voice high and wavering. Jack was reminded painfully of having the same conversation with Gabriel. He remembered feeling like he was someone else, watching his life from a distance. He remembered the false smiles and hopeful words, knocking back his tears like pills washed down with alcohol. He reflected himself onto the girl before him, and fear struck him at the thought of Hana turning out to be anything like him.

“I know, Hana. I know,” he pulled her closer to himself, her head tilting down to rest on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair. He sighed, “Tell me what you were doing before you came in here.”

“I was playing Starcraft… Why? Why would that make me so upset?” she asked, breath hitching. He felt for her. His favorite things had become triggers at some point too. He could never remember what changed the things he loved, and he knew Hana wouldn’t be able to either.

“Sometimes things like that happen. Change the setting that you play in. Don’t sit in the same spot, or maybe play a different game. Your brain’s associating the game with fighting,” he said. He explained it as well as he could, not wanting her to think that she was crazy for how she felt.

“I can’t give you a foolproof way to stop this all, I can only tell you how to handle how you feel.”

“...How do I handle it then?” Hana said, body still as a statue in his arms. The song on the phone changed again to another one, slower and with a piano.

“Remember that you don’t have to smile when you’re not with the public. I’m always here. If it’s too much, call me or come find me. Whatever it is, you have people that are here for you. Remember that.” He should take his own advice, shouldn’t he? He was an adult, though. Hana was little more than a child who had to grow up too fast, thrown in the middle of a war she had no business being in. He hoped to every god that resided in the world that she wouldn’t find out how fucked up he was. If she felt she could look up to him for a steady hand, she wouldn’t feel the need to take it all on her own. If she knew, she’d never trust his advice.

“Okay…” Hana said, hand reaching around to grip onto his shirt. He sighed and pulled her closer, silent and listening to the music for a while. Her body began to shake after a few songs had played, and he leaned back to look at her. She choked back a sob, digging the heel of her hand into her eye to try and keep herself from crying, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Hana. It’s okay,” he said, not shushing her. If she had to cry here where she knew he’d take it to the grave, then he’d make sure she did so freely. He just rested his chin on top of her head as she broke down into tears, hiccuping and clinging to him like an anchor. He rubbed circles into her back with his palm, holding her through all the waves of emotion. It was a long time before her crying slowed to sniffles and whimpers. When that happened, Jack slowly let her go and got up, grabbing his leather jacket off of the floor and wrapping it around her shoulders. He dimmed the lights, then grabbed a bottle of water from where he kept a stash under his bed. He sat next to her again and opened the bottle, wrapping her hands around it,

“Drink, or you’ll be dehydrated and have a headache.” Hana did as told, to her credit. She rubbed at her eyes and sniffled, eyes puffy. He got up again, going to the bathroom and returning with a roll of toilet paper. He tore some off and held it out to her. She was still staring at the floor, but took it and blew her nose. She had to clear her nose a few times, breathing shaky. She slipped her arms into the sleeves of his jacket as he sat down again, looking at her silently.

“I’m sorry for being gross,” Hana said, holding her used tissues in her hand as if she didn’t know where to put them.

“We’re all gross, Hana. Don’t worry,” Jack took the tissues from her hand and carried them away to the trashcan in his bathroom. He came back and sat down with her again.

“I don’t want to go…” Hana whispered, staring at her water bottle, “I hate it. I love my friends, but I hate being there. Everyone’s watching me when I’m there. Here, with you guys? I’m…” she trailed off.

“You’re just Hana. You don’t have to be D.va,” Jack finished. He knew what that was like. With his friends, he wasn’t Strike Commander. He was just Jack. He thought about how gradually, he became the Strike Commander to them too. He had to guide them, and he hoped to whatever was out there that Hana’s friends wouldn’t forget who she was first and foremost.

“Yeah…”

Jack rubbed his fingers against Hana’s cheek, brushing away lingering tears and thinking, “When are you heading out to Korea?”

“Sometime during this week,” Hana said, closing the bottle of water and pulling the jacket closer to her body. 

Jack thought about this for a while, finally speaking, “I can go with you this time.”

Hana looked up at him in bewilderment, “What? Why?”

Jack shrugged with one shoulder, pulling a leg up onto the bed, “Make sure you’re okay. Help you not feel so alone, maybe. I know being in another country can make you feel really isolated, even if you have friends.”

He thought Hana might cry again, so he looked up at her. She was smiling wide, he saw, “I’d… I’d like that a lot, Jack. Are you sure?”

Jack smiled, “Yeah, I can meet all your friends. Maybe scare some of the boys,” he said, chuckling, “Or the girls too, I’m not going to judge.” Hana giggled, voice hoarse, 

“You just want to scare Dae-hyun, Jack! Leave him alone!”

“No, I’m gonna scare him and everyone else at that MEKA base so they know who’s after them if they try to mess around with you!” Jack corrected, laughing.

“You really are a dad, aren’t you?” Hana said, her smile light but clearly there. Jack’s heart warmed, and he chuckled,

“Something like that, huh?” he said, getting up and pulling the covers back on his bed. He patted the spot, “Lie down for a while, relax here. I’ll take Lúcio his phone and be right back, okay?” 

Hana crawled into the spot, sighing as he pulled the covers over her and made sure she was settled in. He grabbed the phone and turned off the music, slipping it into his pocket and heading out to go find Lúcio. He took a stop in the cafeteria to grab a small pack of cookies on his way back to Hana.

__

Winston sat in the head chair of their large meeting room, looking at the note papers before him. Angela sat near him, giggling her leg under the table and looking at the papers she had brought. She watched people file into the room, eyes catching on Hana walking with Jack in arm, the young girl wrapped up in his leather jacket. It was almost comically large on her petite frame. She walked him to the chair that was designated for him, sitting beside him when he was settled. Angela wished Winston wouldn’t move the chairs about, but he’d needed to this time to accommodate their new members.

She crossed her legs at the ankles, watching as Jack ran the tips of his fingers across the wooden table until they reached a small bottle of water. He didn’t pick it up, adjusting the visor on his face. Fareeha walked in with Brigitte. The latter had flown in to the island to spend time on base, working in place of her father as he went home to Ingrid. The two looked at her and smiled, waving in tandem and moving to their seats. Fareeha was one away from being beside Angela, though Genji sat between the two. 

Angela decided to review her notes until everyone had come in, giving a sweet smile to her friend near her as she struck up conversation with the cyborg. 

“Okay, our first order of business is talking about our newest recruits. Torbjörn, your connection is secure?” Winston adjusted his glasses, looking at the holovid planted on the wall where Torbjörn could be seen. He didn’t want to miss the meeting, of course. Brigitte smiled and waved to the screen, 

“Hi, Papa!”

“Yes, my connection is fine, Winston! Hi, Brigitte,” He said the first part rashly as he always did, the latter part with a tender fondness. Winston nodded and picked up his papers, looking to Lena on the other side of the long table. Second in command, she had the second best seat.

“Alright!” Lena stood up, arms behind her back, “We have three new recruits! That means we have six more arms to help us get Overwatch back on her feet. That’s not counting all our possible recruits. Zenyatta, keep talking to your friends in the temple,” 

The monk bowed his head politely,

“Genji, keep talking to your brother. We know Talon was trying to get to him before, and we don’t want that going through!’ Lena said, smiling and waiting for any questions. She continued,

“Now, we have a sniper. That means we can have eyes in places we couldn’t really manage before,” Lena seemed a little tense, but sweet as ever as she regarded Amélie who sat between Gabriel and Sombra, “Welcome to the team, Amélie.”

Lena took a sip from her water bottle as Amélie nodded curtly. Angela smiled as she watched her. She’d grown into quite the leader. Winston, however much everyone knew he was their Strike Commander, worked in the background as Lena made herself the face of the new Overwatch. She dreaded the day she saw fatigue behind her bright eyes. She didn’t know that Overwatch could survive Lena losing her spark like Jack had.

“On top of that, we have two people skilled in working in the back lines. Reaper, you’re good at sneaking up behind them and taking them out. That’ll be really helpful! Keep those stealth skills sharp,” Lena smiled and winked at the hooded figure, earning a quiet scoff in return. Sombra smirked slightly, waving her fingers to the people who looked their way. Lena was undeterred,

“Welcome, Gabriel, back to the team!” she didn’t linger on him, moving on, 

“We also have a new hacker. We have a few here who are alright with it, but having someone as skilled as Sombra will be really helpful! We’ll be able to know what they’re gonna do before they even think about it, if your skills are as good as we think,” Lena smiled at Sombra. The woman in purple’s smirk widened further, 

“Get me a bit of equipment, and you’ll regret not kidnapping me sooner.”

Winston flinched a bit at the use of the word ‘kidnapping’. Angela had to give Sombra the benefit, they technically had kidnapped the group. However, it didn’t seem to be too unwilling.

“Glad to hear it! Welcome, Sombra, to the team!” Lena grinned at Winston. He cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“Now, we hadn’t been expecting to have new recruits so our supplies are a little tight. We had a place already for Reyes, but we had no prepared rooms for LaCroix and Sombra. We should have a room cleaned out properly within the next week. Morrison, Rutledge, Genji, how are those rooms coming along so far?”

The three men looked at each other through their masks, as if communicating telepathically before Genji spoke up, 

“They’re almost done. We’ve moved a lot of the things stored in there to the hangar so Jesse and Bastion can find places for them. It’ll be a little messy for right now, but once we clean them all down and we do the laundry they should be fine.”

“Hope they like the smell of bleach,” Mako muttered, making Jamison giggle loudly. 

“Alright, Morrison, I’ll need those done as soon as possible,” Winston said, eyeing the soldier instead of the others cleaning the rooms. It was no secret to anyone that Winston and Jack carried tension towards each other no matter how subtle they made it. Jack returned the gaze, then it broke as if it never happened.

“Sometime this week, we will send people out to the mainland and buy more supplies for you guys. Clothing, hygiene products, and the like,” Winston continued.

The new recruits had been living out of the same clothes they came with or clothing people allowed them to borrow. They were using the same basic soap and shampoo that was used on base by people who didn’t feel the need to buy something special, and using cheap but efficient enough toothbrushes. 

“If it is not too much trouble, Winston, I would like to go to the mainland and help in the purchase of new supplies?” Zenyatta interjected politely.

“Alright. Genji, you will accompany Zenyatta. Someone will have to take their measurements so you know what clothes to buy.”

“Why will they not be going with us?” Zenyatta asked, hands cupped together and resting on the table. Genji was looking at Zenyatta across the table, seeming a little tense. 

“Zenyatta, I don’t think that would be safe,” Winston started, a little flustered.

“We should no longer treat them as hostages, Winston, with all due respect they are now members of our team are they not? I believe they would feel more welcome if they were allowed to decide their own clothing, instead of having it chosen for them.” This earned a few head nods around the table, but Angela didn’t pay attention to who it was that did them. She was watching Winston and Zenyatta.

“They could make an escape, or be spotted by a Talon operative-”

“Hey, Commander, if we wanted to leave we would have done it by now,” Sombra interrupted, elbow on the table, “You have a smoke person, and someone who can cloak themselves and not be seen. We’d find a way to get Widowmaker out of here too,” she chuckled, “We signed up for this shit show didn’t we? We don’t sign our alliances over that easily.”

Amélie looked to Sombra, then Winston. Her eyes seemed piercing in the still room as she spoke, “We don’t want to leave, Winston. None of us do,” she looked to Zenyatta, who gave her a gentle nod. She looked back to Winston, hand a little tighter around her own wrist.

Gabriel said nothing, but Angela could feel the stare he was giving Winston.

It was a long few moments of everyone eyeing Winston before he folded, “Fine, but you will need to disguise yourselves in order to go to the mainland. We don’t need Talon operatives or anyone who knows of you three to recognize you. Anyone who wants to offer to help them with that, feel free. We’ll also need more than just Zenyatta and Genji with them, just in case. Any volunteers?”

Lúcio smiled and raised his hands, “I’ll go! I’ve got money to cover what they can’t, too.”

“I can go too. I could use some new clothes anyways,” Jesse said, chuckling. 

“Alright, you can all go. Find a day that works for you all and we can plan it. Jesse, please, try not to make it obvious that you are the man on the wanted posters?”

“I’ll fly under the radar, Captain!” Jesse said tauntingly, giving a two finger salute. 

Winston sighed, looking at the peaceful monk for a moment before continuing, 

“Now, I need to station a few people elsewhere. Hana, you are returning to Korea within the next week or so. While you are there, please keep an eye out for any possible Talon activity and report it back to us immediately.”

Hana nodded slowly, leaning against Jack again like she had been doing for the entire meeting, her arms wrapped around his left bicep.

“Lúcio, the same goes for you on your next tour. Keep an eye out for any activity and report it. Dr. Zhao will be returning from Ilios soon, and so we will need to go over her data. Jack, Ana, have you two planned when you will be going back to Egypt?”

Ana pursed her lips, “We’re waiting a little longer before we go. They’re still a little tense after seeing us so openly before. Fareeha will tell us when they’ve loosened on our case.”

“Alright. Fareeha, you will be returning to Egypt soon too. Preferably a while before they go back, so they aren’t connected to you. Your dad is still open to the idea of a safe-house, yes?”

“Yes, he’s getting it all together right now.”

Sam, Fareeha’s father, had been prompted to consider a safe-house for their agents in Canada in the case that they needed to lay low and couldn’t get to Gibraltar safely. Sam seemed eager to help, as he always was. He was a good man.

“Okay, excellent. Brigitte, Reinhardt, you two are going to Numbani with Orisa and Efi to track some intel we got from there.”

All four agents nodded, Efi’s head reaching everyone else’s shoulders.

“You’ll need a sniper in Numbani,” Gabriel said casually. ‘

Winston looked to him, frowning, “What?”

“A sniper. You’ll need one because that is going to be an air based mission. They’re transporting weapons and intel on drones between factories for that mission. Reinhardt and Brigitte aren’t going to be too helpful for that. There’s going to be snipers nests settled everywhere.”

Winston was quiet for a moment, then sighed, “Okay, Ana you need to go with Jack. Jack, you’ll break into some of those sniper’s nests and neutralize them. I don’t know about sending Amélie on an anti-Talon mission. If she’s spotted…” he shook his head.

“We could dress her differently and make sure to cover her skin to make it harder to recognize her,” Torbjörn suggested, “Cover her face to prevent facial recognition.” Everyone nodded, and Winston agreed,

“Alright. Genji, you’ll go with them as well. Maybe Bastion, depending on what else we learn.”

Angela spoke up finally, “If we get our bigger computers up and running again, Sombra could maybe get into Talon’s communication lines and find the sniper’s nests for us?”

Jack nodded his agreement, “Ana and I can handle medical assistance as well.”

“I have some drones we could use to keep track of their drones too!” Efi chimed, Jack snapping a finger and pointing at her like she had the right idea. Winston nodded, looking a little more sure of himself,

“That sounds good!” he set the papers down and fixed his glasses again, “Okay. Anything else?” 

“I’m going to need to go to Korea with Hana,” Jack said, looking between Lena and Winston. A few people looked at him warily, unsure what he had planned. Angela hoped he wasn’t planning some vigilante mission, but his tone didn’t make her think that was his intention.

“Can we ask why?” Lena asked, smiling tersely. 

“A few of the MEKA pilots requested I be there to teach them a bit more about the types of omnics and their behaviors so they can better track them. Hana also suggested I teach them hand-to-hand combat. They aren’t going to be of much use without any of their weapons,” Jack said easily. Angela could tell he was lying. He had tells that most people didn’t know to look for. The way he shifted his shoulder and ran a hand through his silver hair. 

“Alright, that’s fine. Make sure your arrangements are made for training before you leave, okay?” Tracer said, buying the fib. Jack nodded, patting Hana’s arm gently. 

Angela listened as a few more people spoke about data or information they’d gathered on their missions. She spoke about medical supplies and what people needed to gather, as well as examinations and vaccinations she would be doing soon so they knew what to expect. After the meeting, she returned to her room and took a lukewarm shower. Apparently she was not the only person who needed to shower after their meeting. Another joy of Gibraltar was that they had to share water, and it was not always hot. Being on an island with little funding would do that. She got dressed into her nightgown, since the sun was setting already, and settled onto the bed to catch up on her medical plans. She needed to do medical examinations on Gabriel, Amélie, and Sombra in order to clear them for missions. It would be little more than a physical for each of them, but she didn’t know exactly what she might find with Amélie and Sombra. She also had to figure out Gabriel’s ailment, and if she could treat it. She had her phone in her lap, in case anyone needed to contact her as she wrote in her notepad. It was easier for her to organize her thoughts on paper. 

She chewed on the end of her pen, finding her thoughts stuck on Sombra, Amélie, and Fareeha. Why Fareeha? She shook her head and sighed, plotting out how she might try to reverse brainwashing. Sombra had told her a bit about Amélie. She thought about Gabriel and his input on the Numbani mission, chewing on the skin on her lower lip. It was useful to have people who knew how Talon worked. She gasped and jumped out of bed as an idea struck her. If they were to stay ahead of Talon, they needed people who knew what Talon was going to do. Inside minds would be impossibly helpful, and she knew exactly who they could use. She slapped herself mentally for not thinking of it sooner, pulling on her slippers and rushing out of her room to find Winston.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some Good Friend Zenny and Dad Jack! And Angela, who may be having a bit of a mental war with herself under that work persona ;)
> 
> Come find me!  
> \- [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chubbyghost)  
> \- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ChubbyGhost3)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Super excited to say that this story will finally be going into the plot that I had intended now that it is far enough along! I hope you all enjoy it and give me lots of feedback! I love you all and so happy to know you're reading!

“Double agency?” Winston asked, rubbing his chin gently. He sat on a large tire in his office, brow furrowed. Angela considered for a moment how very human Winston seemed at times. 

“Yes, I think it would be a good idea, assuming we can trust them with the task,” Angela said, feeling a little ridiculous giving such an intense idea in nothing but her silk nightgown and slippers, but she couldn’t have slept tonight with the idea rattling in her brain, “We could have Reyes and Sombra working for us, getting information from Talon. That way we can always be one step ahead. You saw them in the meeting, they corrected our information and ideas. If they turn out to be right, we can likely trust them.”

“What about LaCroix?” he asked, leaning closer to her. She thought, 

“She’s been brainwashed, so we could never send her back. If we try, they’ll just brainwash her again and ruin any progress we might make with her.” 

Winston nodded slowly, thinking about this, “I think Talon may be suspicious if they go back empty handed. It would be more obvious what we’re using them for.”

“We could give them certain pieces of information to give away,” Angela said, “Choice pieces. Things that won’t put us in immediate danger, or anyone involved.”

“I’ll have to decide what we can afford to reveal. Things they already know, probably,” he said, “I’ll talk to them tomorrow and plan that out. You’ll need to get together medical files for them all so we can find out if and how we’ll be treating them. For now, you should get some rest. You can’t do much without any sleep,” he said sardonically. He had about as bad a habit of skipping sleep as she did now, what with his new position.

She nodded gently and started out, “Thank you for listening, Winston. I’ll get those files to you as soon as possible, okay?”

Winston nodded and smiled, the door closing behind her as she headed down the hall back towards her room. 

She almost ran into Jack on her way, jumping and grabbing his arm to stop him, “Hello, Jack,” she said sweetly, smiling, “Can’t sleep?”

“Hana’s taken over my bed, and Brigitte’s spending time with her to help, so I was going to stay in the rec room until they were done.”

Angela giggled, “Kicked out of your own room? And you tried to say you weren’t the dad type, huh?” she said, walking alongside him.

“Girls need girl time and Hana wants to be away from video games. I don’t have that shit in my room, so I guess it’s good for her,” he shrugged, “I don’t mind. I’ve been there,” he said.

“Change of environment is always good for us, keeps us from getting depressed because of stagnancy,” Angela commented, “I think you and Hana are really good for each other. I don’t think either of you would be so well off without each other.”

“She’s a good kid. Still a kid, but she doesn’t like that. Most of them are just kids, really,” he said, an emotion in his voice that was hard to place. With his face hidden, he was hard to read sometimes, “They shouldn’t be here, but if they’re going to be I’ll make sure they’re not alone out there.”

Guilt, that’s what he was feeling, she realized. Angela smiled bitterly. He blamed himself for all of this, she knew. He’d never been satisfied with how he did things and how they turned out, no matter how out of his control they were. He second guessed himself more than anyone she knew, but she supposed that when the world was on your shoulders you had to second guess everything just in case it didn’t work for the greater good. 

“Let me go to the rec room with you. We can watch a movie or something. We both need to relax, I think,” she suggested. Jack nodded, 

“Alright,” he placed his hand on the wall, nodded, and then let his arm rest at his side. He started walking, and she took her stride at his side.

“What movie do you want to watch?” she asked, brushing her hair behind her ear. He shrugged lightly, 

“I haven’t watched a movie in God knows how long,” he said, laughing softly, “It’s up to you.”

“Really? Why haven’t you?”

“Never had the time. Movies aren’t high on my priority list between running around in the desert and trying not to get caught,” he said. Angela nodded, laughing softly, 

“I’ve managed to watch a few here and there on my down time, but that’s gotten a little rarer lately,” she said, “What with planning with Winston and all.”

“I have a question,” he said, turning the corner.

“Go ahead,” she said.

“You were against Overwatch reforming, and now you’re working with them. Why?”

His use of the word “them” instead of “us” did not pass her up.

“I know that I am outnumbered, and I would rather not lose more of my friends if I can help it at all. So, I will help medically where necessary, but my statement stands that Overwatch is unwanted and if we proceed we may do more harm than good. Now, we have a lot on the line. Lúcio and Hana’s careers could be ruined if it was outed that they were working for this. I could lose my medical license, and everyone would be imprisoned. If they found out we were harboring this many criminals? One of them being the martyr Strike Commander? I just don’t think the risk is worth it.”

She could tell he had something to say, maybe an argument, but also knew he wouldn’t say it. Instead, he nodded, and spoke in a calculated manner that told her he believed a lot more than he’d say, “There’s a lot of risk, and everyone here is aware of it. Lúcio and Hana joined because they believe in it. Lúcio's been incarcerated before with his revolution. He says it didn’t last long, but I think it’s enough that he knows what this could do to him. We all know the risk. I knew the risk when I put on the jacket, and I’m willing to put myself on the line for what I think is right. The risk isn’t worth it, I agree, but it’s not my call to make and they aren’t my minds to change.”

“And now we have three Talon agents, and that would be very bad if it got out,” Angela continued, agreeing with him. It was everyone’s choices, at the end of the day. Her beliefs were her own as well.

“Now we have three Talon agents,” Jack conceded, walking into the rec room, “Former agents, hopefully.”

“I had an idea that I passed on to Winston, actually,” Angela said, sitting on the couch beside him.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t think it would be a bad idea to use Gabriel and Sombra as double agents,” she started, “We could get a lot of information we have no access to as of right now.”

“That doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea,” he said, reaching out and bumping his fingers against the coffee table. He trailed his fingers along until he touched the remote, picking it up finally and holding it out for her.

“I suggested it to Winston, and we’ll see where he takes it,” she murmured, taking the remote and starting to scroll through their options. Jack stood and made his way over to a recliner, grabbing the blanket off of it and sitting back down. He threw it over them both, relaxing back on the cushions of the couch.

“I have another question, Ange,” he said, face pointed at the screen. 

“Go ahead,” she said, looking at him. He scratched the side of his head,

“When we went to dinner together, what did you think that was?”

Her heartbeat quickened slightly, and she bit her lip sharply, “I thought it was a dinner between us,” she said, smiling.

“No, Angie, did you think it was a date? I don’t want this to get confused,” he said, turning towards her and furrowing his brow.

She considered what she should say, and decided the best thing to do would be to not admit her crush on him. After all, that might make it weird, and she had much to figure out. Most importantly, was that crush still there? She’d had her night out with him, and it ended with her feeling… Not dissatisfied, but she didn’t feel how she thought she might.

“No, why? Was it all the jokes everyone was telling?” she asked, laughing softly. 

“That, and Gabriel said he thought that was what you wanted, so I wanted to make sure,” he said, looking away slightly, “Can I tell you something I’m realizing I never was really upfront about?”

She chuckled at his admission of taking Gabriel’s advice. He was too easy to make nervous sometimes, “Of course, Jack. You can tell me anything,” she twirled a thread that was coming out of the couch, tucking her legs under her.

Jack was quiet for a moment, and Angela’s anxiety grew by the second. She feared it would be something detrimental, perhaps.

“I’m gay,” he said, scratching at a scar on his forearm. Angela stopped, tilting her head,

“I thought you said you were bisexual?” she asked.

“I said that because that’s what the higher ups made me say. There’s a lot of countries that still aren’t accepting of that shit, so when the photos of me and my ex boyfriends came out there was a lot of talking. We tried to keep it quiet, and then Gabriel and I got outed, and… we couldn’t play it off. They said it would be better for me to be bisexual than gay, which is absolute horseshit but,” he shrugged, “I didn’t have much a choice.”

Angela pursed her lips, everything clicking together. She nodded slowly and reached out, taking his hand and smiling at him, 

“I’m glad that you trusted me enough to tell me. Does nobody else know?”

“No, I didn’t say anything just in case someone said the wrong thing on accident. Nobody knows except the people I’ve dated,” he said, seeming a little ashamed.

“That’s alright, Jack. If you ever do want to tell them, I’m always here for you,” she said genuinely, rubbing his hand. He chuckled softly and nodded, 

“That felt kind of… good to say,” he admitted.

“Being honest with yourself? It’s always good,” she pulled away, thinking, “Now, I’m in the mood for a comedy. Do you agree?”

So, Jack and Angela found a comedy they could both agree on and enjoyed their time. Most of the time, they were laughing at their own jokes instead of the holovid. Angela fell asleep on the couch next to Jack, waking up in her own bed and tucked in comfortably. 

__

Gabriel walked into his room, returning with a cup of tea from Zenyatta after his morning meditation. He could hear talking in his bathroom, but he wasn’t alarmed because he recognized Amélie and Olivia’s voices. He headed that way, seeing Amélie staring in the mirror and Sombra sitting on the closed lid of the toilet. He knocked, 

“Can’t use your own bathroom?”

“I needed your help,” Olivia said, smiling. Gabriel sighed and leaned against the wall behind Amélie, grabbing the bottom of his mask and pushing it up to rest on top of his head. He felt his cheek, peeking in the mirror to make sure the hole was closed enough that the tea would spill out of it.

“What with?”

“My hair’s getting too long, and you shave it better than I do,” Olivia said as Gabriel sipped his tea, “Lena gave me her hair clippers to borrow, and her scissors, until I get my own,” she motioned to the items that sat on his counter.

He nodded, watching Amélie brush her hair with her fingers. She looked at him in the mirror, eerie yellow eyes on eerie red ones. The contact made the steady mumbling in his head get louder. It wasn’t coherent anymore, just constant and anxious with hunger.

“Gabriel…” she said softly, hesitating a moment before she spoke again, “I want to cut my hair.”

Olivia looked up at her, eyes widened in shock, “Ame, are you sure?”

Amélie nodded, looking at Gabriel as if she couldn’t talk without the eye contact, “Yes.”

Gabriel was a little surprised, but nodded anyways, “Can I ask why?”

She pursed her lips, eyebrows drawn, “It will keep me from being recognized by Talon… I am… tired of being their property. What’s mine, is mine,” she said as if repeating a mantra.

“Let me guess, Zenyatta told you that?”

Amélie nodded again, “He says I am my own person. It is… hard to accept. I feel wrong, but I know it is right. Zenyatta is… very wise. He…” she went quiet, and they waited. He and Olivia never rushed her talking. Often, she found it hard to voice her own opinions, having so few opportunities to do so. People didn’t think she had her own mind. She did, it was just blocked by a barrier put in by the fuckers in Talon. 

“He says that cutting my hair can help me accept my body as mine. And in many cultures, cutting one’s hair can represent new beginnings,” she gave the smallest, faintest smile. Gabriel nodded, chuckling when Olivia added,

“It helps throw off facial recognition too!”

“That too,” he agreed, moving closer to her and setting the tea on the counter. He took her hair in his hands, smoothing it down her back, “How short are you thinking of cutting it?”

Her hair draped down well past her bottom, thick and dyed a deep purple. She stared in the mirror for a while before moving her hand up to just above her shoulders.

“That short? Are you sure?” he asked, not unwilling but not wanting her to regret it.

She nodded, “Yes, I am.”

“Okay, I’ll shave Ollie’s head, then cut your hair. Go sit down,” he said, taking his mask all the way off and setting it aside. He removed his gloves, looking at his pale fingers for a moment. His nanites vibrated with hunger, but he could keep it together until they went to the mainland. He still needed to plan how he was going to blend in.

He clenched his fists for a moment, forcing his skin not to decay. It took more effort than he wanted it to, and his skin already started to tingle with pain. He sighed a heavy breath of smoke, plugging in the hair clippers and motioning for Olivia to stand in front of him. She did, facing the mirror and tilting her head so he could reach. He brushed her hair to one side of her head, observing the thin scar on the back of her head from her injury. Angela really was a miracle worker. That should have been a gash. 

He clipped on the blade cover so Olivia would still have the fuzzy remnants of hair on the side of her head and started shaving. He shook the hair off onto the floor carelessly, deciding to deal with it later. He shaved around her augmentations carefully, moving closer to not make any mistakes. He moved her head around, the other offering no resistance. She seemed to relax under the buzzing feeling and his hands in her hair.

It didn’t take him long to shave her hair, having done it a hundred times by now. He let her go, watching her rub her fingers over the side of her head as if testing the length. Amélie stood and made her way over, standing in front of him. He looked at her hair, deciding how to go about cutting it. 

“I should get a comb and get your hair wet,” he said. Amélie nodded, 

“I will wet my hair.” she stepped towards the tub.

“I’ll go get a comb!” Olivia said, rushing off. Gabriel watched as Amélie knelt by the mouth of the tub, turning on the water and dunking her head under the faucet to wet her hair. It took her awhile to get it all wet, but it was done and pat dry with a towel by the time Olivia returned.

Amélie was gently feeling her hair, the wet towel around her shoulders.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked again, taking the comb from Olivia. Amélie nodded, shutting her eyes once she was in front of the mirror again. He combed out her hair, starting from the bottom and slowly working out any knots. Eventually it was all smoothed out, even and silky. He brought all of her hair to her back, situating it all together. He took a handful of hair and the scissors, snipping away slowly. He cut it just below her shoulders so he could even it out and shorten it, watching Amélie's tense body slowly start to ease. 

He couldn’t imagine how heavy her hair was, but she already seemed lighter. Olivia watched with wide, almost sparkling eyes as Amélie's hair fell to the ground in small piles. He kept cutting and trimming until it was to where she had motioned.

“How’s that?” Gabriel asked, fluffing her hair a bit with his fingers.

Amélie opened her eyes and stared for a long time in the mirror. He was sure she was going to hate it or regret it, but she didn’t. Instead, she smiled. A real, genuine smile. It left quickly, but it was there and he felt his heart lighten when he saw it.

“I… Thank you,” she said, voice a little tight. She looked beautiful with short hair. He’d never seen it, never even imagined it but he couldn’t deny her beauty. She ran her fingers through her hair slowly, feeling its weight and bounce.

“Ollie, help me clean up this hair,” he said, walking out of the bathroom. Olivia was staring at Amélie with a blush on her face, looking lovesick. He laughed softly, wondering when she would admit her love for the sniper. He knew she was hesitant to, and he couldn’t figure out how Amélie felt, but he encouraged Olivia to try at least. She didn’t, just stared and made poor excuses for flirting. He saw himself in her, sometimes. Lovesick and embarrassed and a little intimidated by the person she loved.

He left them alone, grabbing his mask and putting it on as he left his room to search for a broom. He put his hands in his pockets, letting his body relax a bit.

__

Only a few days after, Gabriel was standing in the hangar to see Hana and Jack off in the middle of the night. Night was best to not be spotted. The two were anchoring Hana’s mech down in the airship with the help of Jesse. Hana was called earlier than expected, so Jack would be taking a flight in the middle of his deployment in Korea to Numbani. The mumbling in his head didn’t like that Jack was leaving, agitated and venting. He didn’t try to make out the words.

Zenyatta and Amélie were sitting on the floor nearby, the omnic speaking about her hair but Gabriel didn’t care to listen in on the conversation. Olivia was antsy, trying to help people load things into the airship. She was helping Angela with a box of medical supplies for now. Jack jumped down from the ship’s mouth, walking to Ana and speaking quietly to her. Ana pulled him into a tight hug, smiling softly and patting his back, 

“Be careful, habibi. I’ll see you in Numbani. And you call every day so I know you’re not being stupid!” she warned. Jack laughed softly, 

“Yes, ma’am. I can’t be more reckless than Hana, right?” Ana made a face, doubtful, 

“I think it’s a race between you two over who gets downed first. Look out for her, she needs you.” 

Jack nodded again, hugging her tightly. She kissed his masked cheeks, then pulled his head down to kiss his forehead. He laughed again, redness at the edges of his mask. He drew away and went to Olivia, taking her arm and dragging her away to speak. Gabriel was eyeing them when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“You can’t avoid me forever, you know?” Ana said when he looked at her. She wore a thin sweater, giving her a sweet look save for the sharp look in her eye. 

“Who says I was avoiding you?” he asked, “What if I have nothing to say to you?”

“Bullshit, Gabe. We’ve got a lot to catch up on. You’re lucky Jack can see me or I’d kick your ass for all this.”

“Lucky me then, huh?” he said sarcastically.

“Lucky you, indeed. But he is leaving soon, you know? I think you and I need to talk.”

“I’d rather not,” he started.

“It wasn’t a question, Gabriel,” she said, leaving him with that to go and help check the ship. It took a little while longer for everything to be ready. When they were about to leave, Jack was speaking to Jesse when Hana and her group rushed him and hugged him. He gave each of them a hug, waving to everyone else. Ana gave him a last hug, squeezing him tightly until he had to go. Angela hugged Hana and Jack close, patting them. Jack looked in Gabriel’s direction, but neither of them said a thing. His head grew louder. Jack was gone not too much longer on the ship, Hana waving from the window. Lúcio blew a wide kiss, laughing happily as he waved. Jesse was holding a communicator in his hand. He spoke, watching the aircraft rise higher and higher in the sky,

“Everything smooth, Jack?”

“Going great!” Hana replied, “Dad’s got his hands full with the controls. We’re trusting the blind guy to fly out, huh?” 

“Shut it!” Jack’s voice, quieter than Hana’s, “I’ve got my visor and we’re just going up. You haven’t been taught how to control the aircraft yet anyways, so I’m the one with experience here.”

“Can’t be too different than a mech, right?”

“Hana if you touch that button I’m throwing you out the window.”

“I wasn’t actually going to!”

Jesse laughed, “Lookin’ good from down here, guys. Autopilot is fine once you’re far enough out,” he reminded, “Try not to kill each other, alright?” The small plane shot off forwards. Hana could be heard giggling through the communicator.

“Call back once you’ve landed on base!” Jesse said. 

“You’ve got it, boss,” Jack said.

“Bye, guys! T-T-Y-L! Hey, Dad, what’s this do?”

“Hana, don’t you dare!”

More laughter as the comm shut off. Jesse shook his head and laughed, tucking the communicator into his back pocket and heading out. The hangar started to clear out, and Gabriel started to leave alone. A hand gripped his elbow and Ana spoke,

“I don’t think so, Gabriel. I said we need to talk.”

He sighed, knowing there was no avoiding it. Ana walked with him briskly, but politely. They went to her quarters, entering with a burst of perfumed air. He was reminded forcefully of her old office, now Lena’s. He wondered if the incense smell ever really left. He stood by the door as Ana sat on her bed, thinking,

“I’m not going to ask for an explanation for everything. I just want to know what you think you’re doing now.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, crossing his arms defensively but keeping his tone level.

“All of this. If you didn’t want to be here, you wouldn’t be. If you didn’t want to be captured, you wouldn’t have been. You let us take you.”

Gabriel was silent for a moment, “So what if we did?”

“So what? Gabe, all this time you’ve been hunting us and all of a sudden you decide to turn around and be the good guy?” she stared at him hard. She hadn’t changed much over the years, but she’d also changed too much.

“I never killed you, did I?”

“You killed some of us! I found out about Eliza Rice and Carl Mendoza and…” she shook her head, “You nearly killed Jack too. He’s so…” she shook her head, “He can’t stay mad at you, but I can. If you hurt a hair on his head Gabriel I promise I will find a way to kill whatever you are and I will make sure you don’t come back again,” her face held an anger in it that made him only able to imagine what she might do.

“I’m not going to. I had to kill some people in order to avoid being detected,” he said, huffing.

“Detected?” she asked, prompting more.

“You didn’t know shit about me, did you Ana? You really think I would suddenly start wanting to work for Talon? After everything they took from us? From me?” his voice warped into something rougher, more Reaper-esque with his anger. Ana stared at him, hard to read. He took a breath and looked away, “It was easier to make you all think I was evil than try and live a double life Besides, my mission is to take down Soldier: 76. He keeps getting away somehow,” he said vaguely, sarcastic just slightly.

Ana’s eyes did not leave him as he spoke, “I did let us get captured,” he admitted.

“Why?” 

He was quiet for a moment, “Sombra and I agreed to waste a mission and if we got caught we’d be able to keep Amélie safe.”

“Amélie?” she was quiet, “You risked your life for her?”

“She’s our friend. Sombra was never working for Talon, she was just using them to access information. I was working on gaining their trust. I’m far in, but we needed to get Amélie out before they killed her.”

“Why would they kill her?”

“She’s an asset, they don’t really care if they lose her. They’ll make a new version. They keep fucking with her, she could barely handle missions. She was passing out and couldn’t eat. She sleeps most of the time, even here. Angela’s going to help her.”

“And you?” she asked.

He was quiet, “I have to go back eventually. Hard now that I’m here and they’re watching me, but I’d rather not…” he trailed off.

“Lose the trust?”

He didn’t reply. She frowned and stood, “You need to decide what you want with Jack,” she said, getting closer. He looked at her, about to ask. He didn’t get the chance.

“You can’t string him along. He still loves you and you know it. He’d do anything to help you, and you shot him in the back. Literally. You know he almost died? I’ve never seen him so pale…” she looked away, remembering. She poked his chest sharply, “I don’t know what you did to him, but if you still love him you need to treat him like it. If you don’t, make sure he knows. He’s never moved on because he’s stuck on you. He thinks about you constantly. Other men have come by and charmed him, good men! And he passed them up, passed up a taste of normalcy, for _you_.”

His heart ached, imagining the life Jack could have had right now had everything gone right for him. Then again, if it had gone right for him, he and Jack would have never been together. Jack and Vincent would have been married, maybe have a family. But here the two soldiers were, fighting like they hated each other while their hearts bled. 

“You two need to have a serious heart to heart. Stop trying to hide everything. And show your damned face! It’s not like he’ll really say no just because of that. You know he doesn’t care, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s not-”

“I don’t care what it is but when he gets back you two are talking or I’m locking you in a room until you figure it out. He needs to love people and you know that. He’s not happy without it. These young kids only help so much. They don’t know him like you do. It’s a different type of love.”

Gabriel was quiet still, contemplating. He opened his mouth to speak, but Athena proceeded to interrupt him.

**_”Agent Reyes you are needed in Winston’s office.”_ **

Gabriel sighed, turning away to leave. Ana took his shoulder, looking at him meaningfully, 

“Please, Gabriel. If you want our trust and alliance, prove to us that you mean it. Prove it to him.”

She let him go, and he left to Winston’s office. The way there his head was filled with thoughts and frustrated muttering. He knocked, walking in when the door opened. Olivia was seated across from Winston’s desk, Lena standing beside the scientist. He walked forward, all eyes on him. 

“Good evening, Reyes,” Winston said with a tight smile, “I have an exciting prompt for you and Sombra here! Lena?”

Lena smiled, jumping to attention as Gabriel sat beside Olivia. She winked at him, then looked back to Lena.

“Now this won’t be happening right now, but!” she Brit started, “We wanted to offer a deal. You’re both well known in Talon and have some trust there. You also have inside information. It would be very good for us to have access to that information, so we wanted to know if you would be willing to consider going back and sending information back to us? You’d still be a part of us and have stations here, but you would be making Talon think it was all normal. If you do this, we’d get a real leg up. You haven’t got to though.”

Olivia and Gabriel looked to each other, thinking the same thing. This went perfect with their plans. Sombra spoke first,

“I can get a lot more information to you that way. I can do that.”

Gabriel nodded, “I can do it too. Probably best so you don’t all get torn down. We can’t go back empty handed though.”

“What do you mean?” Lena asked.

“If they go back with no information it’ll be suspicious,” Winston explained. Lena nodded.

Olivia chuckled, “If we go back clean it’ll be suspicious too. We have to look like we fought our way out.”

“Not sure how to do that,” Lena said, “Unless someone beats you up.”

Olivia shrugged, “Might be the only way. I can give Gabe a black eye any day,” she smirked at him. Lena suppressed a laugh.

Gabriel glared at Olivia, then looked back to the commanders, “Amélie can’t be sent back. She stays here. We can say she was killed or something, I don’t care.”

Olivia nodded her agreement, then her eyes widened. She looked to Gabriel, “I’ve got an idea to sell it!”

The three others looked at her, “What?” Lena asked.

“We still have Amélie's hair in a bag! We mix it with a little of her blood and stuff and put it on your jacket, we can say she got shot in the head. They’ll buy it then.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, “Convenient, but makes it more foolproof.”

Lena smiled awkwardly, “Somewhat macabre, isn’t it?” she tittered, “Maybe unnecessary?”

Olivia crossed her arms over her head, “We need to prove she’s dead. At _least_ some of her blood.”

Lena and Winston nodded, the latter clearing his throat, “We can work out a few more details later. I will gather a file of information for you to memorize and take with you. In the meantime, do we have a day that you will be going out to the mainland?”

“Not yet. Zenyatta should be getting back to you on that,” Gabriel answered.

“Alright, good to know. You are dismissed. Sleep well, agents,” Winston said. Lena waved as the two left.

__

Angela was sweeping the floor of the rec room, watching the large holovid on the wall every once in a while. It had been nearly a full day since Hana and Jack had flown out. It was nearing night now and they were expecting a call soon from the two. Jesse’s communicator started to ring, and he pulled it out, answering. Hana’s face popped up on the screen, grinning. The background was lit up with green lights.

“Hey everyone!” she waved happily, hands mostly covered by the sleeves of her sweater. Everyone gathered around and waved.

“Hey!” Lúcio and Jamison said excitedly. 

“Where’s Jack?” Lena asked, hands on her hips. 

“He’s out with Dae-Hyun! They went out to get food for everyone. There’s a party today, so I barely had the chance to call!” she pulled out her phone, grinning, “Look! It’s going well so far!” she showed her screen, showing a table of all the MEKA fighters, Dae-Hyun, and Jack surrounded by them all. They were all toasting boba teas, Jack donned in his disguise. His scars were mostly masked with SFX makeup Hana knew how to do and brown contacts concealed his eyes. His hair was temporarily dyed blackish brown and he wore civilian clothes. He just about looked like a different person. He was laughing at least.

Jesse laughed, “Barely recognize him!”

Hana grinned, “Riiiight?” she dragged out the sound, then grinned and looked around, “Okay guys, I have an idea and I’ll need your help with it, okay? Real fast, Ana, what’s Jack’s favorite kind of dogs?”

Angela quirked her eyebrow, wondering why Hana decided now was a perfect time to talk about her plan. She decided Hana was hard to rationalize sometimes. She looked at the couch where Ana sat with Gabriel on the floor.

“Big dogs,” Ana said, “Goofy ones. Why?”

“What breed?”

Angela smiled slightly when Gabriel answered, “Golden retrievers, labs, that sort of thing.”

Hana snickered, “Perfect!”

“What are you planning?” Ana asked suspiciously, smiling a bit.

“Well, Jack’s blind, right? When he goes without his visor he’s… kinda useless,” she smiled, “In the best of ways, obviously! He just runs into stuff a lot. He ran into Yuna earlier and she was right in front of him. He’s too stubborn to use a cane thing, and he can’t wear the visor all the time or his eyes are gonna fry! So I was thinking of getting him a guide dog, and I think it would be cool for the holidays if we all gave him that!”

Lúcio grinned, “That’s a great idea! I think he’d like it! Give him someone to hang out with too!”

Ana chuckled, “I trust Jack with a dog more than I do with himself.” That got most everyone nodding.

“Okay, perfect! Angie’s been helping me learn about how and what to do! I’ll text you guys when I learn things and we can all plan it! I think this is gonna be good, but you have to all keep it secret from him!”

Zenyatta spoke up from his spot beside Gabriel, “I know a dog trainer! Perhaps it would be helpful to get into contact with them? I could give them your contact information?”

“That’s perfect, Zenny!” Hana gushed.

“Wonderful! I will do so soon,” Zenyatta clapped lightly.

Hana nodded, scratching her cheek, “Another thing, Dae-Hyun said he noted some suspicious activity a few days ago but doesn’t know exactly who it was. We’ll keep an eye on that. I’ve got to go now, but I’ll send you a copy of the reports!” she waved. Everyone waved goodbye as Hana signed off. Angela smiled, excited for this plan to work itself out.

__

Jack woke up in the dark, not able to make out what was up or down. All he knew was that he had a lingering pain in his head, and he was seated in a moving vehicle. He could tell because his stomach lurched over the movement. Feeling began coming back to him, slowly. He tried to stand, but found his hands and legs tied. Wonderful.

His instincts immediately went into overdrive, planning his escape and survival. He felt for his weapons but they were gone. Of course. He tried to listen for anything, but it was deathly silent in the vehicle. He assumed it was a car. He couldn’t make anything out either.

The bad thing about the dark was that, without his visor, he was absolutely and totally blind. He was left with the small flashes of light that always came in total darkness. Fake, swirling lights his brain made up that did nothing but distract him.

He started trying to feel around with his hands, shoulders strained behind his back. He was up against a metal wall, and the floor was gritty with dirt and gravel. He held his breath, trying not to make too much noise.

He looked up at a voice that was ironic and sultry, “Welcome back, Strike Commander.”

He sneered. That damned scientist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want more of this and others like it? Come find me here!  
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